


Waking Nightmares|NewScapeSquad Fanfic

by HowlingCreator



Category: Newscapecrew, newscapesquad, youtube - Fandom
Genre: Inspired by Dead by Daylight (Video Game), Other, oc killer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2020-12-28 13:55:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 28
Words: 30,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21137798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HowlingCreator/pseuds/HowlingCreator
Summary: ***There is no actual rape in the story, but there is non-con and implied rape***One afternoon, Tommy, Nick, Ashlie, Cory, and UNi find themselves in the middle of a dimly lit wooded area with a large mansion-like house at it's center. The five have awoken with little memory of their lives before they had appeared here,especially when it comes to the familiarity they feel towards the area.They are forced to find and repair generators around the area to restore the power and open the gate that may lead to their freedom.But a darkness and lingering fear is all around the group as stress levels and fear levels rise in the unfamiliar place.





	1. Waking Up

**Author's Note:**

> This is a completely original work, aside from the characters (although I would say they became their own characters and strayed away from the YouTubers throughout the story). 
> 
> TW: violence/sexual situations
> 
> Anyway, hope you like it!

Nick slowly drifted back to consciousness as he became aware of the position he was in. He slowly opened his eyes and blinked away the lingering fuzziness from sleep. He reached out to adjust his glasses and was aware of the fact that he was lying down in dirt and sparse grass. He sat up gingerly and looked around his surroundings.  
His friends laid all around him, also unconscious from the looks of it. Ashlie was sprawled out across UNi's stomach, her blue sweater hiked up slightly. Uni's outfit was ruffled, his blue hair a mess. Tommy was flat on his back, his mask lying on the ground beside him. Cory was flopped on his stomach close to Nick, his blond hair wild and wind-blown.  
He watched as the four began to stir and return to consciousness. Ashlie opened her eyes and noticed her position. She quickly moved away from UNi's body and laid down on her back to relax as her mind returned to the present. UNi's brown eyes blinked open and searched the area surrounding him, reaching instinctively for his glasses to make sure they were still there.  
Tommy glanced around and sat up, noticing his mask was lying on the ground nearby. Reaching over to grab it, he realized that the yellow plastic was beaten and the string that was strung around it was snapped and broken. He frowned and lifted the mask closer to his face. "Looks like this think is really snapped." He mumbled under his breath.  
Cory sat up and looked around, rubbing his head tiredly. "What's happening? How are we all here together?" He asked as he glanced around the area. "Wherever here is." Nick adjusted his slightly tilted glasses. "I'm not sure. We all just woke up here together." He answered. Ashlie's blue eyes searched the area, a strange sense of calm passing over her, causing her to tense up. "This place seems...familiar, I think." She spoke quietly, looking at Nick. Tommy looked up from his mask and searched the area with his eyes. UNi bit his lip as he felt the grass and dirt around his hands.  
"I-I know what you mean." Nick replied. "I get the feeling that I know this place-it's itching the back of my mind-but I can't quite understand how we know this place." UNi looked at the brunette and furrowed his brows. "I know what you mean." He answered through his British accent.  
Cory ran a hand through his blond hair, biting his lip. "I'm not sure what you're talking about." He answered. The place did seem somewhat familiar, but seemingly less familiar than the others, which could be displayed through the confused and pained expressions on the four faces. He shook his head. "Don't hurt yourselves trying to remember." He added.  
The four sank to the ground in defeat. "We should probably look for a way out of here." Nick said. Ashlie nodded. "That would be a good idea." She replied. She helped UNi to his feet and dusted herself off. UNi adjusted his glasses and ruffled his blue hair to look like it normally did. Ashlie ran a hand through red-brown hair and made sure it was all in order. Cory stood and adjusted his clothes. Nick helped Tommy up and felt his glasses to be sure they were not broken. He looked over at Tommy, who was frowning down at his mask.  
"Did it break, Tom?" He asked kindly. Tommy looked up with a small nod, his piercings glinting in the slight light. Nick frowned. "I suppose there isn't a way to fix it here." He said as he glanced around the area. "Don't worry about it,Nick. I probably shouldn't have it on in here. I should be alert and able to see at all times." He answered as he threw the mask to the side, the bright face and smile staring back at them with an almost eerie feel.  
Cory looked at them. "We'll have time to mourn your mask later. For now, we should be finding a way to get out of here." He said. UNi glanced at the three boys. They were all taking the strange setting so well, calmly even. Waking up to a strange place that they can only vaguely remember usually unsettles those that aren't used to the spooks and horrors of games and these settings.  
But then again, this wasn't a game. This was their reality right now. Ashlie walked ahead, turning back to usher the others after her. The four followed her with sure footing, aware of the unusual silence in the area. Cory glanced around the area as they walked. "This place is eerily silent, don't you think?" He questioned. Ashlie nodded. "I wonder if it's abandoned." She answered, her voice unusually calm. "But then that means it might be haunted!" Tommy piped up, an air of mischief surrounding the blond man. UNi glared back at the jokester. "This isn't the atmosphere to be joking, Tommy." He snapped slightly.  
"I was just trying to help the mood,UNi. Don't make it worse." Tommy argued back, the aura quickly turning to that of discomfort and anger. UNi turned to look at him, his blue hair swishing at the movement. "I'm not trying to make it worse. I'm just putting it into perspective!" He bit back, his brown eyes blazing with a contained fury. "Easy now, you two. Keep it light right now." Nick intervened. UNi sighed. "Sorry, Tom. I'm just on edge." He apologized. Tommy smiled. "It looks like this place could cut us, it's so sharp." He joked.  
UNi and Nick rolled their eyes. "Nice job, Tommy. You take the award for corniest jokes." Cory spoke, his voice dripping with disgust. Ashlie turned her upper body to look at them. "Y'all are awful. We could be in a potentially dangerous situation and you're joking around." She said disapprovingly. Tommy chuckled his deep chuckle. "I'm sorry I'm making things less stressful." He said sarcastically.  
Nick heaved a sigh, shaking his head. "We're not going to make it out of here..." He muttered to himself. UNi looked at Ashlie. "Yeah, Ashlie's right. We need to look around." His gaze swung to Tommy's. "Without terrible jokes."


	2. Mystery

The group walked on in complete silence, each contemplating different scenarios. They eventually came face-to-face with a large cement wall, cracked in multiple places where the blocks were stuck together. Glinting barbed wire wrapped around wooden poles 5 or so feet above them.  
"So there's a wall. That must mean there is a gate or hole around here somewhere." Ashlie mumbled to herself. "Did you mean that?" Tommy asked as he pointed at a solid iron gate the same height as the wall, the bright rust visible from the ten foot distance they currently stood at.  
The group walked over to the gate and Ashlie and Nick stepped up to examine the workings of the gate. Cory cast a glance over his shoulder, towards the leering house close to the center of the location. UNi's gaze moved from the two at the gate to the blond. "What is it, Cory?" He asked. "Do you see something?"  
Cory shook his head. "I just get this feeling that there is something in that house. I wouldn't say it's watching us, but there is something there." He answered, turning his head back to focus on the blue haired Brit. "Come now, Carl. I'm sure it's just your paranoia acting up." Tommy spoke, his voice taking a tone of mockery and a higher tenor.  
Cory's glance swung towards the taller blond. "I'm not just saying this to be paranoid. It's an honest feeling." He said. "And I've told you not to call me Carl." Tommy nodded. "Yeah uhuh." He answered,although he made no effort to continue his antics. UNi glanced down at the ground, his glasses sliding down his nose.  
Nick turned to the group. "There's a lever, but it doesn't work." He spoke. "It seems we'll have to find a way to get power to it." His voice tremored slightly in horror. Cory's human eye widened, his camera eye glinting. "That means we're going away from the wall." UNi spoke, whipping his head up quickly. "How will we know to get back here?" He questioned. "We'll have to find our way back here when we have everything situated with the power." Nick stated, his dark brown eyes dulling slightly as he thought of the horrors that could await.  
Ashlie looked over at Nick, inching closer to him and brushing his arm with hers. Nick glanced at her, sharing a smile. Ashlie's blue eyes shone with determination as she looked at the other three. "We'll make it through this, y'all. All of us." She spoke encouragingly. The three looked back at her, each pair of eyes reflecting a different emotion. Cory's skeptical gaze stared back at the determined one. "Who says we'll be able to fix the power? We aren't electricians." He argued.  
UNi and Nick leveled their gazes on their shorter blond friend. "We just have to believe." He replied. "Come on, Cory. If you're scared, I'll stay close to you." UNi added. Cory glanced at the British man. "I don't need your comfort, UNi, thanks." He said.  
Ashlie blinked slightly and looked over at Tommy. "You're unusually quiet, Tom. You aren't scared are you?" She teased. Tommy flashed a white-toothed grin at the ginger girl. "Tommy, afraid? HA!" He mocked, raising his eyebrows. "Vright, vright." Ashlie said through giggles. Nick chuckled at hearing the banter of the two. "We need to find the power for this place." He said, cutting the light-hearted tone right down to the stressed level it was before.  
"Maybe we should split up. To cover more ground." UNi suggested as he focused his gaze on the two by the gate. "That isn't really a good idea. We don't know what lies ahead." Nick said, shaking his head. Ashlie looked over at the man next to her consideringly. "Maybe he's right, though, Nick. We could get more accomplished if we split up." She spoke with slight uncertainty. Nick breathed out smoothly and glanced up at the rest of the group.  
"I suppose it won't hurt. Tommy, you come with me. Will you be alright with Cory and UNi, Ashlie?" He spoke after a slight pause. Ashlie nodded and looked at the British man and camera-faced blond. "They can mostly take care of themselves, but it'll be good to have the back-up." She spoke with certainty now, her voice strong and sure.  
Tommy chuckled. "Oh boy. Bonding time with my favorite Twitter star!" He said lightly, causing UNi and Cory to glance his way. Nick rolled his eyes. "On second thought, Ashlie you take him." He teased, his eyes darting to Tommy before quickly focusing on Ashlie. "Uh uh, Nick! You picked your group, and I picked mine! No switches!" She argued, a laugh in her voice.  
"We are in this conversation, you two." Cory spoke up. "And personally, I would much rather not having Tommy with us." He added. UNi shook his head and smiled slightly, but muttered an agreement. "Sorry Tom. You'll probably get along better with Nick, anyway." He said as he quickly shot a glance towards his friend. "I won't be offended if you don't want to be with me, guys. I like to work alone, like Batman or something." Tommy said, clearly biting back something else he wanted to say.  
Nick noticed the slight anger in the blond's tone and frowned sympathetically. "Come on, Tom. Let's get a head start on this power." He stated, trying to distract his friend from his anger. "Right! Let's make it like a race! Whoever wins is the better group!" Tommy spoke in a slight monotone, although the rest of the group could hear the bitterness in the undertones of his voice.  
Nick flashed a smile at Ashlie. "I say that's a good idea. What about you, Ashlie?" He asked. Ashlie returned the smile, almost cockily. "You're on. Best of luck to y'all." She answered, and with that the group dispersed into their groups and headed in opposite directions.


	3. Split Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get a little strange in this new land. What kind of secrets does this place hold for the crew?

The groups moved further away from each other as they headed separate ways along the wall. Tommy and Nick headed back along the path the whole group had taken previously to reach the gate. Ashlie, Cory, and UNi stumbled along a path on the opposite way.  
Nick and Tommy glanced around the inner workings of the restricted area. Nick's gaze fell on his taller blond friend, who was tromping along beside him, his hands in his jean pockets and his gaze focused on the nearby trees. "I'm sure they didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Tom." He spoke, breaking the hard silence like a pickaxe on ice. Tommy's brown eyes shot over to his brunette friend and he turned his head to look at him.   
"Of course, Nick. They totally didn't mean to make me feel like I'm not a member of this group." Tommy answered, his voice reaching the higher tenor although it didn't disguise the bitterness worked into it. Nick's lips curved into a frown, his brown eyes focusing on his friend's troubled brown ones. "I promise they didn't mean that, Tom. Some people just can't handle your jokes when they are in a life or death situation." He spoke, never breaking eye contact with his friend.  
Tommy blinked slightly, looking startled. "But don't jokes help with the tense mood?" He questioned, sounding very confused. "Not everyone thinks that. I'm sure Cory and UNi just want to be alone with their thoughts right now-" He shuddered at the thought. "-but don't think ill of you for being yourself." He answered. Tommy's gaze cleared as he listened to his words. "I suppose you're right.. You won't mind my jokes, though, will you?" He asked hopefully. "Of course not, Tom."  
The male broke out into a grin. Nick could feel the newfound happiness surrounding his partner. Nick smiled and chuckled silently to himself, the only indication the slight shaking of his shoulders. Tommy glanced around the dark area as they walked under a thick canopy of trees. His smile faded as he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. "Hey Nick... Did you see that?" He asked as he looked over at his friend.  
"I didn't see anything." He spoke, confusion lacing his voice. "This isn't one of your jokes, is it?" Tommy shook his head. "I swear I'm being serious." He said, his voice indicating his truth. Nick turned his head, his gaze sweeping from one tree to another. His gaze settled on Tommy again. "I don't see anything." He said, worry now worming its way into his voice. Tommy looked around the area once again. "I could have sworn I saw something move out of the corner of my eye." He answered. "Maybe it was a bird or something." Nick suggested.  
Tommy nodded, mostly to himself. "Maybe you're right." He spoke to convince himself. "Tell me immediately if you see something again." Nick said. Tommy nodded to his friend. "Alright." He looked up into the sky, which struggled to be visible through the thick copse of trees. Nick glanced around him again, his eyes falling on a dark shape near a pallet building. He blinked. "Tom, what do you think that is?" He asked his friend. Tommy shrugged. "Let's go check it out."  
The two made their way over to the shape, which loomed over them in the form of a giant hook. "It's like something for the world's largest fish." Tommy spoke. Nick took a step backwards. "This thing smells of trouble." "And old blood." Tommy intervened. Nick pushed his glasses up his face with a frown carved into his expression.  
"I wonder what it's-" Tommy cut himself off, spinning to face behind them. "Okay, don't freak out Nick. I heard a voice." He added, his gaze raking around the area close to them. Nick's frown deepened. "Tom, I didn't hear anything." He said worriedly. Tommy's head turned to Nick's, a wild look in his eyes. "I heard something like a voice. I'm dead serious." He said. Nick moved closer to his friend and laid a hand across his shoulders.  
"Maybe we should walk back to the gate. You must have somehow hit your head when we got here." Nick spoke softly and carefully, a visible gentleness in his eyes. Tommy shook his head wildly. "No. It was a voice. I swear it." He spoke. "There it is again." He added, lifting a finger thoughtfully. Nick listened but only heard the faint wind blowing. A frown etched itself upon the chiselled face of the brunette.  
"I only hear the wind." He answered. "It's a voice. Honest to God, it's a voice." Tommy argued. "Come here, come here. I shall help you escape. That's what it keeps saying." He added. Nick blinked in confusion. "A-alright, Tom. Just stay away from it." He finally replied. Tommy looked into the distance with a dazed expression. "Yeah. Yeah. I'll try." He said. "It just wants to help, though. It could be somebody else stranded here." He whispered softly to himself, trying to convince himself that he was hearing everything correctly.  
Nick looked back at the hook and shook his head quickly then looked back at the manor house. "There is something sinister here that should be avoided at all costs..." He mumbled, although Tommy only heard him as if from a distance. Nick turned the taller man away from the hook and the trail behind him, pushing him away due to him not seeming to respond for himself.  
"Help is all you need. Come to me." A voice floated through the breeze.


	4. Tension

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group splits up to look for generators, but something is amiss.

Ashlie glanced behind her with a look of longing. UNi caught sight of her glance, but thought better of speaking out about it. Ashlie noticed his eyes focused on her and turned back to look at them, the look on her face quickly vanishing. She flashed a smile at the Brit, although it looked more like a grimace.  
He returned the smile, moving closer to her, so he could whisper to her without Cory catching the conversation. "Are you alright, Ash?" He spoke under his breath, his curious brown eyes focused on her blue ones. "I feel bad for just shooing Tommy off with Nick... I feel like we should have said something to lift his spirits." She whispered through a tight voice. "I'm sure he understands that we just want to be careful." He spoke, trying to cover up his voice with certainty, although it didn't quite blend as he had hoped.  
"I just feel kinda guilty, ya know?" She said, although her blue eyes had brightened with hope. UNi smiled at her reassuringly. "I know how you feel. Everythin' will be okay, though." He spoke confidently. She nodded to herself, as if weighing her friend's words. Cory turned his head to look at the two with their heads bent together.  
"Are you having some sort of secret meeting to discuss my fate?" Cory spoke lightly with a tone of mockery. The male and females' heads snapped up at hearing their friends' voice. "No, no! We're just talking about...about..." Ashlie spoke, her voice stalling as he noticed the blond's gaze focused solely on her. "About the group? Or someone specific?" He guessed.  
Ashlie's face flushed as her gaze fell to the ground, despite the blond's remaining on her. "Yes, Cory. It was someone from the group." UNi snapped slightly. "Don't make Ashlie feel bad about speaking about it. It was your decision, after all." He added. Cory's eye widened. "My..decision.. You mean Tommy?" He asked. "Of course. Who else would we be speaking about?" Ashlie said, her voice small and uncertain.  
He shook his head. "Damn, Ash, I'm so sorry." He stopped walking and moved back towards his friends. Ashlie looked at him, noticing the guilt in his blue eye. "It's not me you should be apologizing to, Cory. It's not me that you made feel unimportant to the group." She spoke, her voice surprisingly calm and certain. Cory blinked and stared at her in surprise, then broke into a chuckle which grew into a laugh.  
"This is why you're the leader of this little trio. I can't do shit for understanding others' feelings." He spoke after he had halted his laughter. Ashlie stared at him in confusion and shook her head. "Whatever, Carl." She teased as she pushed past him to start walking again. Cory watched her walk a distance away before he strode off after her, the blue-haired Brit following after him.  
The trio walked on in silence now. Ashlie glanced at the two boys. "Should we move away from the wall?" She asked curiously. UNi gazed into the gloom with a fearful expression. "Are you scared, UNi? I can stay close to you if you are." Cory's voice cut into his fearful reverie. UNi glared at the male, but didn't say anything in response. UNi looked over at Ashlie. "I think we should check the rest of the perimeter before we move deeper in." He spoke. Cory nodded. "UNi's right." He agreed.  
Ashlie nodded slightly and continued on along the slightly beaten path close to the wall. "I hope Tom's doing alright." UNi spoke up after a dark silence for a few minutes. "I hope so, too." Ashlie agreed. Cory looked at the ground, then back up at the other two. "Me too." He added.  
\-----------------------  
Tommy glanced around the area almost feverishly. "Nick, we should head towards the house." He spoke. Nick glanced over at his friend with a worried gaze. His eyes were dulled and his fingers moved endlessly, as if he was practicing fingerings for an instrument. "I don't think that's a good idea." He spoke hesitantly. Tommy looked over at him. "But there could be someone else that needs help." He said, straightening suddenly.  
He looked towards the manor house for the third time in half a minute. "I need help, I need help.." He began to chant to himself quickly. Nick glanced over at him. The sudden transformation in his friend worried him more than his moody behavior before. He was certain that something dangerous was causing this change, and he had no plans for going nearer to ascertain that fact.  
Nick looked back ahead of him, doing his best to ignore the blond's incoherent ramblings. He noticed with a start that another hook stood in front of them. His eyes widened in horror. Tommy hadn't seemed to take notice of the hook, seemingly preoccupied with his own problems. The two closed in on the hook and Nick examined it with a deep frown.  
He moved tentatively closer to the hook and examined the dried blood. "It has to be a cow's or something.." He mumbled, refusing to accept the option he was thinking. "What do you thin-Tommy?" He asked, glancing over at his friend, who had disappeared from his side. He glanced around, but failed to see him through the gloom of the woods.  
"Tommy!"


	5. Disappearance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy has disappeared and Nick is desperate to find his friend. Where could Tommy have gone?

Nick looked around the area with a look of horror plain across his face. "Tommy!" He shouted to the sky. The only response was the sound of the wind picking up. He bit his lip, then hesitantly turned and started walking back the way the two had started from. He glanced around the area, hoping to catch sight of his tall blond friend.  
\------------------  
Ashlie looked back to her other two partners, slowing to a halt. Cory and UNi gradually halted as well. "What is it, Ash?" Cory asked with a slight tightness to his voice. "Did you hear that voice? It sounded like Nick." She spoke, her hands to her ears to see if she could pick up the voice again. UNi shook his head;he then ran a hand through his hair. "Are you sure you heard correctly, Ashlie?" He questioned. She nodded quietly to herself, focusing on the voice. She shushed them with a finger to her lips, her ears pricking as the wind picked up once again.  
The silence between the three was broken with a familiar high wail. "That's-that's definitely Nick..." Cory said in shock. UNi nodded his shocked consent. "I think he's calling Tommy's name.." Ashlie said through a barely managed whisper. The boys nodded silently, their eyes wide with surprise and a suppressed horror. "We have to go make sure everything is okay." Cory said, his voice much stronger than what the other two could have managed. They murmured their consent and took off running the way they came from.  
\-------------------  
Tommy walked through the debris and roots as if on autopilot. He wanted to go back the way he had come-back to Nick-but his feet wouldn't listen to his demand. His ears picked up the sound of singing, a beautiful voice that immediately dispersed his thoughts of Nick and his friends. The only thought he could manage was moving his body closer to the ever-approaching voice.  
He tripped over a root, but even then his feet wouldn't stop moving. He regained his footing quickly and continued on his journey towards the manor house. The song faded until he could only hear a white noise, like static had taken over his brain. Through the heavy emptiness in his head he heard a voice:"Come, come. Loyal subject of the Siren, continue your journey to me." It coaxed through a persuasive voice.  
"Yes, yes. My pet." The voice seemed to hiss, but Tommy didn't have the will to consider the mysterious words; he continued on his way until his body led him to the door of the manor house. Red eyes peered through the darkness, slowly approaching the tall male. He watched in a stupor, as if frozen in place. A bright ray from the moon cast over the figure, revealing a battered female with a tattered t-shirt and knee-length skirt. Crusty blood covered her clothing and her relatively long hair was thin from ripped out chunks of hair. She was in her bare feet.  
A wide grin spread across the girl's face, her red eyes glimmering with pleasure. She moved a step closer, coming face to face with the tall male, which stood almost a foot taller than her. "Welcome, my beautiful pet." Her voice was as smooth as silk and as persuasive as the best politician's. "Wh-Who are...you?" Tommy managed through great constraint. "I am what you will refer to as the Siren, dear pet." The female answered, trailing a hand down the male's face, her grin never leaving her face.  
"S-Siren." Tommy said, focusing his brown eyes on her glowing red ones. She looked deep into his eyes. "You will serve me well, foolish man. Your friends will never know what happened." She spoke, her voice dripping with pleasure. "Out of the five of you, you were the only one able to hear my song. The others won't hear it unless you open their ears to my beauty." She added. "You're beauty. I will show them your beauty." Tommy spoke through a trance. "Wonderful. I have a special request before I kill you." "What is it?" He asked quietly, as if whispering.  
"Fool your friends into believing there is nothing here. I want them to be able to hear my voice." She requested. Tommy nodded absently, his eyes flashing a bright, light blue before fading to their original brown. "I will give you enough will to speak for yourself, but I will always be watching your progress. And one more thing." She spoke. "Bring me the male with the blue hair. He will make a good experiment for my new trick." She added. The female snapped her fingers and he suddenly stood straight, looking alert.  
His eyes widened in horror at noticing the female so close to him. "Do not be alarmed. Remember my request." She spoke in his mind. He blinked as the plans clicked in his mind. "Oh yes, that." He replied after a short silence of consideration. "I will get it done, I swear." He turned and ran out of the house, casting only one glance back towards the house quickly.


	6. First Generator

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who is this "Siren" and how does this place give her the power she has? Nick catches up with UNi, Cory, and Ashlie and he relays to them what happened leading up to Tommy's disappearance.

Tommy slowed to a walk and glanced around the area, alert for any noises aside from his own. He felt around his clothing to be sure that he didn't have any of the Siren's blood on him. He felt his cheek and grimaced as he pulled his hand away. He frowned as he saw the red blotch of blood on his hand. "Oh well, it'll make it more believable..." He muttered to himself and wiped the blood onto his jeans.  
\-------------------------  
Ashlie, Cory, and UNi slowed to a halt near the gate, catching their breath after running. Cory looked around. "We aren't at the gate yet." He puffed. Ashlie nodded. "I know." She looked around and spotted something glinting in the faint moonlight. She started to walk towards it. "Hey y'all, what's this?" She asked the boys over her shoulder. The two walked after her.  
As they closed in, the glint of the moonlight faded and a discernible shape emerged. A giant metallic bulk sat before them. "A generator?" UNi asked in surprise. "Maybe this will get the power on so we can open the gate!" Ashlie exclaimed. Cory nodded. "But how do we fix it?" He asked. Ashlie crouched down near a panel and started pulling the wires within. UNi and Cory looked over at each other, before joining her.  
\-------------------------  
Nick slowed to a walk and looked around the area, pushing his glasses up from his nose. His heart was still beating incredibly fast and he was still jittery from panic, but he couldn't freak out when he found the other three-he couldn't. He shook his hands out and rubbed the sweat on his pants. He looked around the area once again, trying to catch sight of his friend. He looked into the debris of the manor house.  
"What did Tommy mean by a voice?" He asked himself. "I have yet to hear something other than our friends..." He added. He listened to the wind blow, the faintest hint of a voice drifting through, though it could not be distinguished as a male or female. He frowned and he trekked on at a slightly faster pace.  
He soon came to the gate he recognized from earlier and continued on the opposite direction, disregarding it for the time being. He moved on silently, keeping as calm as he could. After a few more minutes of walking he came upon a bright light and a noise like turning gears. He shielded his eyes from the sudden glow and searched the area amid the rays. In it stood three familiar figures.  
"Ashlie, Cory, UNi!" He called with a smile. The figures turned to him and ran over to him quickly. Ashlie tackled him in a hug when they had closed the distance between them. "What happened? I heard you shouting... Where's Tommy?" She asked as she glanced behind him. Nick rubbed his neck, shaking his head slowly. "Nick?" Cory asked. He focused his eyes on the three. "He disappeared. We found this..hook-two actually. I stepped forward to examine the second one and turned around to ask a question and he was gone.."  
Ashlie's eyes widened and she placed her hands over her mouth. Cory's brows furrowed and his blue eye glimmered with guilt in the moonlight. "It's my fault.. He probably didn't want to stay with us after what I said to him.." He spoke quietly. Nick shook his head. "No. Something wasn't right with him.. He said he heard a voice and then he became-" He flexed his hands as he searched for the right words to say.  
"He became entranced with the voice.." He added. "It was like it had swallowed his conscious. He muttered to himself and repeated things the 'voice' had been saying. It was as if his mind had been overridden by this..desire." He added. Ashlie laid a supportive hand on his shoulder and the two boys patted him on the back quickly; this did nothing to calm the stricken look in his eyes.  
"Where is he now, do you know?" UNi asked. Nick shook his head. "I came straight back to you guys after he disappeared. I didn't want to split up even further and have something else happen." Nick spoke. Ashlie nodded. "That was a good idea. It's hard to tell what could have happened to you as well. For all we know, he could be crushed in some rubble right now." Ashlie's voice took on a hint at sadness at picturing the tragic fate that could have befallen their friend.  
UNi glanced towards the manor house. "We should check close to the manor house, there is more rubble there." He suggested. "No way. That house seeps danger." Nick argued. "But then where would we look?" Ashlie asked. Cory placed a finger on his chin. "Maybe close to the perimeter, but not hugging the wall." He spoke. "And if we don't find him, move further in." UNi added. Cory nodded.  
Nick bit his lip until he could fee; the coppery taste of blood in his mouth. The aura he felt from that house terrified him and he wanted only to climb the walls to evade it entirely. "I suppose we don't have a choice." He mumbled to himself. Ashlie flashed a glance his way, her blue eyes soft with sympathy. The three of them could never imagine what Nick had dealt with up till this point.  
"Were you just going to send a party out for lil' ol' me?"


	7. Tommy?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy returns to the group and they continue on the search for generators, but something isn't right about him...

The four quickly spun around to catch sight of the familiar voice. "T-Tommy!" Nick exclaimed in a startled tone. Tommy flashed a reassuring grin. Ashlie stepped forward. "Y-You seem fine, though. Nick just told us you were hallucinating." She spoke defiantly, if not unsteadily. Tommy smiled at her. "Oh that?" He rubbed his neck. "I might have gone a little crazy, but I'm fine now!" He exclaimed with closed eyes and a smile.  
He opened his eyes and looked at the rest of the group. UNi looked startled, Cory's gaze was riddled with guilt and suspicious, fighting for control of his facial expression, Nick looked horrified. "Come on, guys! You act like I'm standing before you as an apparition!" He spoke in vain-his words fell on deaf ears. Nick stepped up to Ashlie's side. "There is no way you just snapped out of that..trance. You looked like some kind of drug user!" He snapped. The horror in his expression quickly twisted into anger.  
"And you just disappeared! Do you know how terrified I was to see you gone? I thought you had run off to your death because of this 'voice'!" He shouted. Tommy blinked in surprise, taking an instinctive step back as if being burned by Nick's words. "I-I don't know what came over me then, but I promise I'm fine now Nick... I'm really sorry for making you worry..." He muttered quietly, as if he couldn't bring himself to raise his voice.  
A swift smack settled around the area and startled the nearby crows. "You idiot! You can't just play it off like nothing happened! You could have died out there and we wouldn't have ever known!" She shouted as her voice strained through tears tightening her throat. Tommy stared at a rock the way his head had been turned, his eyes wide.  
UNi stepped forward. "Ashlie..." He whispered as he moved to calm her down. She reeled on him. "How are you so calm? Don't you care that he could have died?" She shouted. Cory finally stepped forward. "Ashlie, of course we care... We're just shocked, is all." He said softly, flinching instinctively as he waited for a slap.  
Tommy turned his head to look at his friends, guilt evident in his gaze. Nick breathed a sigh as he calmed down. Ashlie covered her face and shook her head frantically, breathing unevenly. Tommy slowly stepped closer to her. "Ash..." He spoke quietly. He pulled her close to him before she could reach out and hit him again. She cried into his body quietly. "We should just calm down and take a breather before we find the next generator." Cory suggested. "Good idea, Cory." UNi agreed.  
Ashlie calmed down and quickly wiped her tears away with rough stabs at her eyes with her long sweater. Tommy watched her with a soft expression. "I'm so sorry for worrying you, Ash." He spoke lightly. She shook her head and remained quiet, feeling too betrayed by her own voice to speak. Cory and UNi sighed heavily. "You said you fixed a generator?" Tommy asked as he glanced from Ashlie to the blue haired Brit and the other blond. Cory nodded.  
"There are generators scattered around this area that route the power to the gate." He answered. Tommy nodded to himself. "Damn. They know about the power system. You will have to bring me the subject before they find more generators." The Siren spoke to Tommy. Nick examined Tommy, finally noticing the deep scratch on his cheek. "Hey Tom, where did that scratch come from?" He questioned.  
"Oh this? I must have scraped it on a branch when I wasn't thinking right." He answered as he felt at it for wet blood. Ashlie looked up at him and noticed the scratch as well. "Holy cow, Tommy." She stood on her tiptoes to touch his cheek lightly. He winced slightly and she threw her hand back quickly, her breath catching. "That's not a branch cut, Tom. It's from nails." Her voice was hardly a whisper as if the loss of breath had left her without enough voice.  
Tommy blinked. "I wonder if I accidentally scratched myself while I was walking..." He muttered to himself. "Yes, yes. Continue with the web of lies. The taller the tale, the more they will believe." The Siren spoke through her pleased tone. He glanced down at Ashlie, his eyes flashing with the slightest hint of blue. Nick blinked as he caught sight of the quick change in the atmosphere of the blond.  
Ashlie looked back up at him with a deep-etched frown. "I wish we had a med kit... Some gauze would do that cut some good." She stated. He flashed a smile down at her. "It'll be alright! It'll keep me meditating!" He joked. Ashlie shook her head, but he still received a smile from her. "Go sit down for a bit." She spoke through her amusement. He nodded and turned to the other two boys, moving towards the gate with them, leaving Nick and Ashlie together.  
"Hey Ash." Nick began as he looked at her. "Yeah Nick?" She asked. He moved closer to her and watched Tommy walk away, joking with the two. "Did you see Tom's eyes?" He asked. She blinked. "What do you mean? They were as brown as ever." She questioned, tilting her head slightly. He shook his head. "Not for a second. They turned a little blue for a flash." He spoke. She giggled and punched his shoulder lightly. "I'm sure you're just imagining it. The moon is bright in this area." She said lightly.  
Nick nodded to himself. "Yeah... That must have been the moon..." He spoke, trying to hide the uncertainty in his voice.  
"But they were blue, not silver... Something is happening to Tommy, and I'm going to figure it out."


	8. Suspicion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nick becomes suspicious of Tommy after catching a strange glance at him. Only good things can happen now.

Ashlie cast a quick glance at Nick, whose face was riddled with doubt. "Come on, Nick. Let's go join them." She offered with a reassuring smile. Nick nodded slowly and snapped out of his reverie.  
The two jogged after the group, making sure to point out anything that caught their eye. Nick stole a glance over at Ashlie as they moved. She seemed focused on keeping her attention around the surrounding area, failing to notice the gaze on her.  
Nick looked away, slowing his speed as they caught up with the other three boys. Cory and UNi looked at them, but Tommy continued to ramble on, apparently telling a story. Ashlie caught the words banana and ex-wife. She smiled; Nick may have been suspicious, but he still sounded like their friend. Nick smiled at the two, but didn't speak up.  
Tommy finished his story and turned his gaze to the other two that had just arrived. "Ah, Nick, Ashlie! You missed my marvelous story." He said as a large grin worked its way onto his lips. "I heard the important parts." Ashlie said with a quiet giggle, sounding cheerful. Its like she had forgotten they were in a life-or-death situation.  
Nick, on the other hand, remained quiet and only nodded in acknowledgment. Tommy's smile quickly faded at the tense silence of the group. "What's wrong, guys? Cat got your tongue?" He joked to try and lighten the mood-and failing. "No. We're just thinking." UNi spoke, his big brown eyes reflecting silver in the moon light, his glasses falling down his nose.  
"Thinking about what? How bright the moon is?" Tommy asked in a joking manner, a hint of tightness to his voice. "Tom, just be quiet for now." Cory spoke kindly. Tommy drooped, but said no more.  
"They must be suspicious of you. If they ask questions, lie to them. They cannot know about my presence." The Siren spoke to Tommy. He seemed slightly reassured by her voice, although a small thought in the back of his head tensed up at the thought of hurting his friends anymore. "What if they find out? They'll never trust me again-they'll leave me to die here." The voice spoke wearily. Tommy heaved a quiet sigh.  
\------------------  
The large iron gate came into view and with it came a reassuring hum of a nearby generator. Ashlie, Cory and, UNi broke into excited grins. "I hear a generator! That would be another one routed to the power!" UNi said through his thick accent. Ashlie nodded,her throat too tight with happiness to be able to speak properly.  
Tommy bit his lip. "Shit.." He thought. "You must not let them get this generator. If they do, they only need three more to escape." The Siren spoke as a slight tremour of terror shook her voice. "You must draw the subject away before they find the generator. I can use my voice to bring him to me."  
Tommy nodded. "Hey UNi, why don't you come with me to find the generator?" He asked hopefully. UNi opened his mouth to speak, but before he could do so, another voice interrupted him. "Actually, Tom, I'll go with you." The deep tenor of his other glassed friend spoke.  
"O-oh, okay then! Let's go Nick!" Tommy answered with a slight hesitation. "Will you three be alright looking together again?" Nick asked his friends. "Of course, Nick. You two get on your way." Cory spoke before Ashlie could answer. He nodded and turned to Tommy.  
"I will find out what is going on."  
"He will have to suffice."


	9. Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Siren has chosen her next victim and Tommy goes on the move to fulfill the Siren's wishes, and things go according to plan.

The group split up yet again as the search for the generator began. Ashlie, Cory, and UNi remained near the gate as they scouted the surrounding area, their ears pricked for any sound of an approaching hum. After a few seconds of silence, UNi spoke up. "I wonder why Tommy asked me to go with him. Wasn't he mad at me earlier?" He asked. "Actually, I think he was more mad at me, than you." Cory argued with a matter-of-fact tone.  
Ashlie glanced at the two. "Why does it matter?" She asked the blue haired Brit. "I don't know. Something just seemed...off about it." He answered, his voice troubled. Ashlie shook her head. "Don't worry about it, UNi. If you let it bother you, it'll just preoccupy you." She spoke. Cory nodded. "We'll need your help finding this generator. Now, stop moping and quiet down so we can listen." He explained. The group settled into silence and they listened for the approaching hum. They were only a few feet from the gate when they stopped at the familiar hunk of metal and wires.  
The three sat down to begin working on it, moving the wires and power cords to their appropriate positions. Cory and UNi noticed Ashlie's slower movements as she fiddled with the wires, her gaze distant. "Ash, what's up?" Cory asked. "Nick told me something earlier about Tommy and it's really messing with me..." She spoke through a hushed tone, blinking heavily to re-focus her gaze. "What did he tell you?" UNi asked, turning his head to his dark haired female friend.  
Ashlie slowly pulled her hands away from the generator and moved them into her lap absently. "He said that Tommy's eyes turned a bright blue for a second while he was talking to me..." She answered as she stared at her hands. "I don't understand, though. Why would they be blue? And why was Nick the only one to notice that?" Cory and UNi moved away from the generator as well, focusing entirely on their friend. "I just-what does it mean? Is Tommy lying about being okay?" She questioned, her voice strained with tears and fear. Her blue eyes moved up to focus on the two beside her;their troubled gazes seemed to reflect hers as she spoke.  
"Do you think he was lying about nothing happening while he was separated from Nick?" UNi asked, his brown eyes widening in surprise. Ashlie slowly nodded her head, blinking. "Don't you agree?" She asked. Cory's camera eye glinted as he looked at the sky, his blue eye reflecting the silver of the moon. "I don't know, Ash... I told you there was something in that house..." He spoke in a whisper, as if his slight breath pushed the words through his mouth. UNi's gaze was fixed on his two friends, unable to speak through his shocked reverie.  
"We can't trust him, and we left him alone with Nick."  
\-----------------------  
The tall blond and brunette walked together through the dense woods and the never-ending darkness. They hadn't moved far from the gate-maybe five or so feet. A hum filled the area as they approached a generator. Tommy's eyes widened. "Another generator...." He thought through a slight bout of terror. "Lead him away before he finds it. Lead him to the manor." The Siren spoke in her sweet voice. Tommy nodded. "Come on, Nick. Maybe it's this way." Tommy spoke lightly as he maneuvered closer to the large house in the distance.  
Nick looked around. "But it's getting quieter. I think it's back this way." He argued slightly as he turned back the way they had come from and continued closer to the noise. Tommy bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. "You're failing miserably." The Siren whispered, the agitation evident in her voice. Tommy quickly trotted after his shorter brunette friend. "Are you sure, Nick? Maybe the debris is just throwing the sound around." He suggested skeptically. Nick turned his brown eyed gaze to his taller friend. "I'm sure, Tommy. Let's go."  
The generator came into view as they continued on their way. Tommy walked beside his friend, a slight pause in his gait as he guiltily moved further away from the manor house. "What are you doing?! Didn't I tell you to get him away from the generator?" The Siren spoke in clear anger. "I know, I don't know what to do. If I attack him, the others will surely hear him." He thought in response to the voice.  
Nick moved over to the generator and started to work on it while Tommy stood behind him in a stunned silence. Nick moved his hands busily as the cords and wires re-routed to begin working. "Move now! Attack him while he will be caught off guard!" The Siren snapped. Tommy's feet remained planted and the Siren willed the man to walk closer. Tommy moved forward on command. "This is what I get for giving you free reign. If you can't do it yourself, I will." She said as her voice seemed to fill with a resigned truth.  
"....Yourself, I will." Tommy whispered in his slight trance, moving closer to Nick. "What was that, Tommy?" Nick asked as he looked behind him, having heard the words. Tommy stared back at him with the bright blue eyes of the Siren's subject. Nick's eyes widened. "I knew something was up!" He shouted in victory. He stood and moved away from the generator. "What is going on, Tom?" He asked as he quieted his tone.  
Without answering, Tommy lunged towards the shorter man. Nick's eyes widened in surprise and he quickly tried to maneuver away from the blond, his feet stumbling clumsily over a root. Tommy grabbed his arm tightly and without mercy, his grip drawing blood on the other man's arm. Nick winced in pain. "Tom?" He asked in fear. He did not receive an answer save the taller male grabbing his other arm and pulling him close.  
Nick struggled and tried to pry Tommy's hands off of his arms, to no avail. He wiggled frantically back and forth to loosen the other's grip, his glasses falling to the ground beside them. "Tommy! Stop!" He shouted, his terrified voice echoing throughout the surrounding area. Tommy didn't flinch.  
Suddenly, a sweet song carried to Nick's ears. The man froze as his terrified eyes widened and he tensed. Tommy smiled slightly as he glanced at the man in his hands. Nick's whole body seemed to go still as he absorbed the soundless song, his dark brown eyes slowly fading to the blue of the Siren's slave, staring ahead of him without focus.  
"Your mistress is calling you home."


	10. Doubts or Truths?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> UNi, Cory, and Ashlie realize their mistake and move to get to Nick before Tommy does something he might regret, but they might be too late.

Ashlie sat bolt upright as she heard the sharp shout of her brunette friend. "That was Nick!" She exclaimed as her blue eyes widened in fear. Cory and UNi pulled away from the generator as the light flickered on. Cory moved closer to her in a shocked stupor. "You're right... He sounded really scared, too..." He answered after a slight pause to catch his breath. UNi adjusted his glasses and nodded silently. "He was shouting Tommy's name." He spoke in surprise.  
Ashlie stood. "We have to go find them! What if they're in trouble?" She answered quickly, her voice tight with panic. "Ash, calm down a little. We can't just rush over there." Cory argued as he got to his feet. "Didn't you hear him, Cory? He sounded so scared..." She breathed out in a defeated tone. She physically drooped as she glanced at her friends with a worried gaze. UNi looked at Cory. "Let's just go, Cory... We have to help them if they need it." He said softly. Cory nodded. "Alright."  
\-----------------------------  
Ashlie, Cory, and UNi arrived at the spot where they had last heard their friend. Ashlie cast her glance around the area, her blue eyes lingering on nothing as her gaze darted back and forth. Cory stepped forward as he examined the area with an air of cautious fear. UNi moved in a circle as he looked around the area. Ashlie stepped forward as she noticed the generator ahead of them. She crouched down to finish re-wiring it and noticed the red splotches on the ground. Large red droplets dusted the ground all over the dirt in front of the generator. She bent down and examined it.  
"Someone's bleeding!" She exclaimed in renewed terror. UNi and Cory quickly moved over to her and crouched down to examine the crimson liquid. "And it's fresh... Either of them could be hurt right now." Cory answered through a deliberate whisper. Ashlie's blue eyes were wild with fear. Endless scenarios ran through her head of fights that could have caused either of the two boys to get hurt.  
"Ash, easy on your arm." UNi cut into her thoughts. She blinked back into reality and looked at her right arm, which was stinging with pain. Her nails were dug into her arm as she squeezed it. She must have tightened her grip on her arm when she had begun imagining the scenarios. She carefully loosed her grip and focused her gaze on her friends.  
"We have to find them. I don't know what could happen." She spoke lightly and clearly. The wild fear in her gaze had vanished, her eyes now bright with determination. Cory and UNi nodded. "And we can't let anything happen to Nick. I have a feeling Tommy is behind this somehow." Cory spoke through a slight tone of suspicion. UNi turned his brown eyed glance at his blond friend. "What do you mean? Tommy would never deliberately hurt his friend." He questioned in confusion.  
"Who said it was intentional? Remember what Nick was saying about his trance-state? What if something in this place caused that?" Cory answered evenly. "And that was the reason he had attacked Nick for seemingly no reason." Ashlie noted as she caught on to what her taller male friend had been saying. "Exactly."  
\-------------------------  
The short female smiled in pleasure as her two subjects walked into the manor house. The familiar darkness enveloped her as she slunk back slightly. "Ah, my beautiful subject. I'm so glad you could join me." She spoke through her pleased tone. Nick turned his gaze toward her, but remained silent. "Come forward, beauty. I must examine you properly." She urged and the brunette complied by stepping towards her. Nick remained motionless as she examined him, running a hand along his arm.  
Tommy bit his lip slightly. "Um... Siren.." He spoke up, cutting off the younger girl's entranced inspection. Her red eyes swiveled to look at him, a dull anger brightening them for a flash. "What, pet?" She questioned. "What will we do with the subject? He clearly doesn't have enough will for himself to return to the group." He asked as his blue eyed gaze focused on her red one. "He will stay here for now." She spoke as a devilish grin spread across her face, making her dirtied face look haunted.  
Nick blinked slightly, but still remained quiet. "And what will I do?" Tommy asked. "You will remain here as well. I have plans for the testing of the subject." The Siren spoke, the large grin evident in her voice. "May you impart that information to me?" He asked yet again. "In time, pet, in time. Let the three wander aimlessly for a while before I set my plan into motion." She answered, her tone light despite the blond's many question.  
She turned to Nick and ran a hand lightly under his chin. "Come with me." The male nodded and trailed after the shorter female as they melded into the deeper shadows. Tommy watched them leave, his eyes fading a faint brown before returning to the bright blue. A thought nagged at the back of his mind as he had watched the two retreat, although he was unsure if the thought was his own or if the Siren had planted the thought herself. Why am I helping her plot to kill my friends? Why can't I resist her?


	11. Conflict

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy fulfills his mission and returns Nick to the Siren like she had asked, and she sends him on a mission. Things get a little heated between the group.

The Siren walked further into the house, the shadows shifting and dispersing where the moonlight flooded in through cracks in boards. Nick followed obediently, his movements mechanical and choppy, like strings pulling his body forward. The Siren smirked to herself as she focused on Tommy, his thoughts echoing in her head. "Oh, dear pet. It's a shame you're going to die in the end." She thought with feigned sorrow. She felt a prick of intense delight that nearly choked off her breathing for a short second.  
She halted mid-stride and turned to face Nick. His bright eyes shone in the darkness, his large pupils focused on the shorter girl in front of him. The Siren had no use in feeling the pleasure of someone she thought was attractive or not, but was hit by the intense pressure she felt towards the male-he was attractive, even without his glasses. "Tommy, pet. Come over here." She called the way she had come. Footsteps echoed throughout the destroyed building as the tall male approached her. The bright blond and blue eyes of the male appeared in the doorway and he stood before her, awaiting orders.  
"Pet, you will stay here with me. I have a mission for the beauty." She spoke as she looked between the two. A flash of doubt crossed the male's face, but it quickly vanished. "Siren, should we do that? We aren't sure if your hold on him is strong enough." He questioned. She shook her head. "I have plans for you if the group can get through to the man. That will involve you then." She argued, her sweet voice even and cool. Tommy nodded. "Yes Siren." He answered. She turned to Nick and her gaze ran over the male quickly. "Now, I will send you out to your friends." She said. Tommy bit his lip slightly. "And what will be the point of that?" He asked. "I am going to stir things up a little. I want results for this." She replied.  
She glanced at Tommy quickly and then at Nick. "Go now, puppet." Nick walked off. "He's going to kill them. He's going to kill them. He's going to hurt someone." A voice echoed in Tommy's head, making the male blink and catch his breath in surprise. The Siren looked over at the male, but remained silent. "My hold on him will not last. If the puppet does not return victorious, I must have him kill the pet." She thought in disdain. The Siren spun on her bare heel and walked into the darkness, leaving Tommy behind in the doorway.  
\--------------------  
Nick walked towards the spot he had fought with Tommy, his slow movements deliberate and calculated. He stared ahead, his pupils glancing around the area. He was slightly aware of the feeling of the Siren tugging his body along, as if being pulled by a puppet's strings, the presence of the Siren trailing him as if she was behind him and leading his every movement. He moved to the generator as the hum and whirl became louder, along with voices. He felt a smirk pull at his lips as he approached them.  
Ashlie spun in a circle. "I hear footsteps." She whispered through a strained breath. Cory and UNi slowly spun to face the direction she was facing, their ears pricked for noises. They heard the tell-tale crunch and shuffle of shoes on dirt and leaves. They all held their breath, intentionally or not. Bushes rustled and a familiar male shape appeared before them. Ashlie stepped forward in excitement, tears springing into her eyes. A quiet snap echoed throughout the area. She glanced down, her eyes widening. "Nick's glasses!" She bent down and picked them up, examining them. "I broke them..." She whined.  
"Ash." A voice spoke urgently. She stared at the glasses sadly. "Ash!" She was shoved out of the way as a body thumped on the ground where she had previously stood. Her wide eyes settled on the male in front of her. Cory glanced down at her in shock. "T-that was Nick..." He whispered. Her head snapped to her right and she looked at the shape slowly standing. Moonlight filtered behind him and lit his features. "Nick..." Ashlie breathed in surprise. The male stared back at her, his blue eyes glowing unusually bright against the moon.  
UNi remained rooted where he was, his brown eyes wide with shock and horror. "Welcome to the party, friends." Nick spoke, although it sounded warped and unlike his normal buttery smooth voice. Cory moved aside and Ashlie stood. "Nick..." She repeated, seemingly the only word she could manage. Tears trailed down her cheeks. "What is happening?!" She shouted with sudden ferocity. "A trial of sorts. You'll find out soon." The voice said and Ashlie clenched her fists, crunching the glasses. Nick advanced towards her, his gaze still locked on hers. There was no familiar light, or joy that shone in his eyes at that moment. Only a cold excitement.  
Cory reached out to pull her back, but his hand never reached her arm. Suddenly, Nick lunged towards Ashlie, the glint of a metal object in his hand. Ashlie's eyes widened, the anger dissolving into terror within a flash. She moved her hand up to protect herself, the moonlight suddenly being blotted out by a shape. A sickening gush sounded as the blade struck a target. A spurt followed as it was slowly pulled away from the body. The shape fell to the ground and was again replaced by the shape of the brunette male, his blue eyes shining with a malicious delight and a large, sickening grin on his face.  
UNi snapped out of his horror-stricken stupor and ran over to his two friends. "Cory!" He shouted. Ashlie stared at the shape of her blond friend, blood slowly seeping out around his unmoving body.  
A sharp, piercing wail echoed throughout the confines.


	12. Questioning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Siren toys with the group through Nick as he closes in on them, and with Cory injured, they feel helpless.

Ashlie fell to her knees as UNi did his best to patch Cory's wound with part of his shirt. Tears stained her sweater where they had fallen heavily. Nick watched with such a fierce look of cold pleasure that it sent goose bumps up the female's arms. She was frozen where she sat and couldn't move if she wanted to.  
"Why...? Why would you try to kill us, Nick?" She spoke through a strained whisper, her voice barely audible. Nick stepped close to her and crouched down, leaning to her ear. "Sorry friend, but Nick's not around. He's nothing but a puppet for my pleasure." He said. UNi glanced over at the two nervously, his eyes bouncing from Nick and Ashlie, to Cory.  
Nick turned to face the Brit and the motionless blond. "Aw, did I not kill him? I'm more rusty than I thought. I thought I had pierced his heart for sure." He taunted, his blue eyes gleaming with delight. UNi watched the male, unable to speak through the disbelief choking his vocal cords.  
Ashlie stared at the brunette in utter despair, the heavy flow of tears blurring her vision. "How could this happen..? All we wanted was to be together... We don't need this torment and torture.." She spoke, picking up a lead-filled arm. Nick looked back at the short girl, not a trace of the rich, gentle brown in the eyes of the man before her.  
Her heart ached for him, for his calm, supportive behavior. She reached her hand out to touch his cheek. "Nick..." She hiccuped. "Darling, I must ask you to stop touching him. I'm afraid I can't let you rile him up before he kills you." He said. He pulled his hand away from his cheek and gripped it with a short, reassuring squeeze.  
Ashlie stared at their hands, sniffing. As soon as the tender feeling was there, it was gone. Nick released the dark haired female's hand and watched her with a questioning gaze. Ashlie moved her gaze up to his.  
Suddenly, Nick dove at her, quickly wrapping his hands around her throat. Her eyes widened in fear. "Ashlie!" UNi frantically wrapped his arms around Nick's torso and tried to pull him away from the female. Nick shot a glare at him out of the corner of his eyes. "U.. Ni.. Get out.. Of.. Here.." Ashlie choked out in gasps. "What? I'm not leaving you, Ashlie!" UNi shouted. "Cory... Could die...! Find stuff... To help him...!" She argued. UNi stared at her with wide brown eyes.  
He glanced at the ground. "No.." Ashlie's eyes widened. "UNi! Think of... Cory...!" Nick glanced between the two with a bored expression. "Oh yes, very sad. Now, get your hands off of him." He said. Ashlie looked up at Nick as she gasped for breath. "Oh Nick... I wish I could help you... I know you're in there somewhere, fighting to be heard..." She thought in despair. She closed her eyes.  
UNi watched the two with a look of panic. He had to help Ashlie, but he didn't have a clue how to get Nick away from her. He released a breath before diving at the shorter male. The brunette's eyes widened as the sudden weight sent him crashing to the side.  
Ashlie's eyes flew open and she sucked in gulps of air. She sat up and looked over at the two, wrestling in the dirt. She looked around. "UNi won't help Cory, so I will." She thought. The glint of metal in the moonlight caught her eye. A chest was near the generator.  
She quickly ran over to it and flung it open, searching for a med-pack. She felt the bottom of the chest and searched around it, feeling a soft plastic material. She pulled it out of the chest in victory and ran back over to the group. She threw the pack down next to Cory and moved to help UNi, who was struggling to throw the knife away from him.  
She tackled him and grabbed at the knife. With the combined strength of the male and female, they were able to throw the knife aside. Nick grabbed Ashlie's hands and flipped her over him onto the ground. She gasped as the air was pushed out of her lungs once again.  
UNi watched Nick with a feeling of dread. At this point, all they were doing was upsetting him. Ashlie sat up after she had caught her breath. She noticed the intense anger burning the brunette's blue eyes. He also seemed confused as what to do at this point.  
Ashlie looked over at UNi and saw the confusion reflected on his face. Nick stood and looked at the two. His uncertainty made his movements slow. UNi moved over to Ashlie. "What do we do? We can't attack him..." He whispered. Ashlie shook her head. "Wait and see if he tries to attack us again. Otherwise, we need to help Cory." She answered.  
Nick slowly moved in the direction the knife had been flung, his eyes never leaving the duo. He bent down and retrieved the knife. Ashlie and UNi looked at him, noticing the knife in his hand. "Shit... Not again." She mumbled.  
Nick stood up, glancing at the motionless blond and then at the two. He noticed the marks forming around Ashlie's throat with an unintentional pang of pleasure. He wanted to move closer to her, apologize and hug her until she felt she could trust him again, but the Siren's influence made it impossible to do so.  
Instead, he moved over to Cory's body, the knife poised to throw. Ashlie and UNi noticed the male's intentions and stood quickly, their eyes widening. They moved to catch the knife, just as it was released from the brunette's hand.  
And landed in someone else's.


	13. Confusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just as Nick is about to finish Cory off, someone steps in to stop him. How did Tommy manage to get free of the Siren?

Ashlie and UNi stared in shock as a tall blond male stood in front of Cory, twirling the knife in his hands. Nick blinked in confusion, his arm still poised in the throwing position. "Damn... I forgot about the pet..." He mumbled, slowly lowering his arm.  
Tommy grinned at the male in front of him, although his movements betrayed he was dazed and slightly unsteady. "Tommy!" Ashlie cried out in relief after breaking out of her stupor. Tommy waved at the female.  
"It's seems someone has been playing naughty." He said lightly, glancing at Nick. Nick remained where he had been standing, his eyes narrowed in thought. "I knew I shouldn't have left you unsupervised. The moment I felt my hold on you begin to slip, I knew you would find a way to break free. It's a shame, really. I enjoyed having you around while you were obedient." He spoke.  
Tommy watched him in confusion, the smirk never leaving his face. "I'm sorry. I didn't know I was suddenly a dog." He answered, anger tipping his words like venom. Tommy glanced at Ashlie. "Can you explain to me why Nick is doing this?" He asked. "I don't know what's going on for sure,but it's definitely connected to your earlier behavior." She responded. Tommy nodded, but his gaze remained confused. UNi moved behind Tommy to properly care for Cory.  
"I'm not sure exactly what the hell is going on here, but I'm pretty sure this isn't a good picture." Tommy said. Ashlie could feel a smile cross her lips, but it quickly faded again. Nick laughed, a harsh, detached sound. "Oh dear pet, if only you hadn't been such a fool." Tommy stared at Nick. "A fool? Oh yes, let me just file that under the synonymous term for intelligent." He snapped.  
He stopped spinning the knife and looked down at it. "You know, I'm ashamed to say that I enjoyed this place." He mumbled, as if speaking to himself. Ashlie took a step forward. "Tom..." His gaze left the knife quickly and his expression changed. "It doesn't matter. I need to protect my friends, and if that means getting killed I will gladly do so."  
"Ooh, so valiant. It's a shame that this one will never know that he killed his friends with his own hands." He said. Tommy watched Nick, unsure of his next move. While he stood in a stupor, Nick quickly ran over to Ashlie, where he wrapped his arm around her throat. UNi glanced up. "Tommy! Help Ashlie!" He shouted.  
Tommy blinked and refocused his gaze. He threw the knife aside and ran at the two. He knew he couldn't hurt Nick, even if he couldn't control his actions. Nick stepped back, reaching in his pocket. "Stay back, or I slit the girl's throat." He said. Tommy stopped dead in his tracks.  
"Nick, you have to be in there! You can't just let her do whatever she wants!" He called out desperately. "I've already told you that he isn't here." He said. Ashlie bit her lip as she felt Nick's grip tighten slightly. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.  
Tommy stepped forward slowly, his eyes on Nick. "Let her go, Nick." Nick remained quiet, pulling a knife out of his pocket. UNi looked over with furrowed brows. Nick moved the knife to Ashlie's throat, his gaze even. "Move anymore and I kill her." He spoke coolly. Ashlie looked at Tommy, her eyes desperate.  
Tommy dove for Nick, grabbing for the knife. Nick moved his hand away to keep the object away from him, cutting Ashlie's cheek in the process. Ashlie yelped in pain and struggled against Nick.  
Tommy wrestled the knife out of Nick's grip and threw it aside. Nick reached out to grab the knife, to no avail. Ashlie wriggled her way out of the fray and looked at Tommy and Nick wrestling in the dirt for the nearby knife. Tommy struggled to pin Nick so he couldn't reach the metallic object.  
Nick kicked at Tommy and struggled to break out of the blond's grasp. Tommy caught his breath as Nick kneed him in the stomach. He reached out and grabbed the knife, swiping at the taller male. Tommy rolled away to avoid the blade.  
Nick stood with a grimace, holding his stomach. He held the knife in warning, his blue eyes radiating hatred. "You got lucky this time, but I will be back." He snapped and turned to walk away. "Wait! W-what about Nick?" Ashlie spoke up, her blue eyes reflecting her worry. "That is none of your business."  
He walked away without a second glance. Ashlie drooped, blood dripping onto the ground from the gash on her cheek. Tommy sat on the ground and breathed out. "What happened while I was gone?" He asked. "Hell if I know." Ashlie answered. He looked over at the female. "Did I...?" He questioned with a worried tone.  
"No, Tom. You didn't hurt me." She responded, her tone defeated. She felt at her sore throat, suppressing a pained cough. She stared at the ground, her lip quivering slightly. UNi patted her back with a reassuring smile, although it didn't quite feel warm enough.  
"I'm sure Nick didn't want to hurt you." He said lightly. "It seemed like he exclusively went for me." She whispered painfully. "The Siren was probably feeding off of Nick's feelings towards you." Tommy spoke without glancing at her.  
"Or she just really hates you."


	14. Catching Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Tommy now free of the Siren and Nick back in her clutches, Tommy spends that time tending to the rest of the group's wounds.

Tommy looked over at Ashlie, who was sitting on the ground curled up in a ball; she seemed to be staring at the ground. UNi glanced over his bandage and stitch work on Cory and leaned back with an outtake of breath. Tommy felt at his stinging cheek-the cut from before must have been cut open again.  
He looked at Ashlie again, moving closer to her and noticing the deep red marks on her throat. "What happened to your throat, Ash?" He asked with a worried tone. Ashlie slowly focused her gaze, although it remained away from Tommy's face. "Nick choked me." She spoke through a hoarse whisper.  
Tommy's eyes widened in shock. "So he choked, stabbed, and beat you?" He asked in disbelief. Ashlie nodded mutely. He glowered at the ground. "That wasn't Nick. He had no intentions of doing that. The Siren made him do it." He spoke. "The Siren? Who the hell is that?" UNi questioned as he glanced at his blond friend.  
"She's the entity that inhabits this place. Remember when Cory was being paranoid about the house? It's because she's there." He explained. Ashlie blinked quietly, rubbing the blood on her cheek and smearing it. "I just have one question for you guys." Tommy said as he looked at the duo.  
"Okay. What is it?" UNi asked. "What did I do while she had me under her control?" Tommy asked. His gaze was desperate, despite his even tone. "It started when we split up to search the area. I believe she was messing with your head-making you want her. You examined some hooks, and while Nick was looking at the second one, you just disappeared." Ashlie managed through a sore voice.  
"I believe that was when she called you to her lair. After that, you came back. Nick was instantly suspicious of you-your cheek was cut and you blamed it on a branch." UNi intervened. "You chatted and spoke like it was you, but in actuality the Siren had made you do all those things." He added.  
"We all thought it was actually you, until Nick found out. He saw your eyes change color for a second while you were talking to me." Ashlie spoke. "We split up to find the next generator and Nick insisted on going with you, instead of UNi..." She could feel tears pricking her eyes as she spoke.  
"He wanted to stay with you so that we could stay safe and he could help you." She said. "And you ended up attacking him and handing him over to the Siren." UNi said with a snobby tone. Tommy stared at the two. "Ash, UNi..." He whispered through a strained voice. "You guys understand I would never intentionally help the Siren, right?" He asked.  
Ashlie rubbed her throat quietly and UNi looked over Cory. "Right?" Tommy asked desperately. "Yes, Tom. We were just stating the facts." Ashlie croaked as she placed her hand on his arm comfortingly. Tommy slouched, releasing a breath. "So I'm the reason Nick has been hurting you..." He mumbled lightly, his tone miserable.  
"Don't blame yourself, Tommy." Ashlie said with a soft expression. "You couldn't help it." Tommy turned his gaze to her. His eyes shone with grief and self-loathing. "And I'm sure you'll forgive Nick just as quickly after I told you that." He said.  
"Of course I will. He's my friend." Ashlie said. Tommy sighed and leaned back. UNi glanced at them with a worried glance. "You guys have some terrible cuts on your cheeks. Let me patch them up." He stated.  
Tommy shook his head. "It's fine." He said. "No. It is bleeding like crazy." UNi argued defiantly. Tommy heaved a sigh. "You're not going to give up, are you?" He asked. UNi shook his head, his blue hair swishing. Tommy scooted towards UNi so he could clean and bandage the cut.  
"This cut has gone through a few layers of skin, Tom." UNi spoke with furrowed brows. "I'm sure the Siren did it." He growled. UNi finished cleaning the wound, waiting while Tommy calmed down to put the band-aid on. He carefully applied the bandage and leaned away from Tommy.  
"Ouch. That stung." Tommy whined. "You'll get over it." UNi spoke evenly. Tommy glared at him in mock anger. "Thanks, UNi." UNi chuckled, his hearty chuckle shaking the band-aid in his hand.  
Ashlie smiled sweetly, remaining quiet as the two talked back and forth. She felt at her bruising throat. She wasn't upset about it because she knew it hadn't actually been Nick hurting her, but the pleasure lighting his blue eyes sent chills down her spine. After the terror of the past few minutes, she found it hard to imagine the soft brown eyes of the male she had known before. She had told Tommy she would forgive Nick, but she couldn't help but be weary of their next meeting.  
"Ashlie?" UNi cut into her reverie. She blinked multiple times, focusing her blue eyes on the British man. "Hm?" She hummed in answer. "Do you need that cut cleaned or just bandaged?" He asked as if he had already asked that question multiple times before.  
She felt at the cut and winced as the cut stung. "Yeah, it needs cleaned." Tommy said, noticing the pain flash in her eyes. UNi moved over to Ashlie and began gingerly dabbing a cotton ball on the cut. Ashlie squeezed her right eye shut in pain. UNi slowed his movements. Tommy watched the two quietly.  
UNi moved his hand away and put the band-aid on quickly. Ashlie opened her eye again and looked at UNi. He smiled reassuringly. She smiled back and leaned away from UNi with a small sigh of relief.  
UNi placed the supplies back into the med-pack and zipped it shut. "UNi, look!" Ashlie said, pointing at Cory. UNi did as she said and looked over at the blond. He was stirring slightly, his eyes peeling open slowly. He looked around the area with a dazed expression.  
His blue eye focused on Tommy and he blinked. His gaze then moved over to the female and male pair. "Oh, Cory. I'm so glad you're okay!" Ashlie cried in relief, tears in her eyes. Cory slowly sat up, grimacing in pain.  
UNi nodded as a smile spread across his face. Tommy remained silent, his eyes locked on the other blond. "That was such a stupid move-jumping in front of that knife!" Ashlie said. Cory didn't seem to hear what she said.  
"Why is Tommy here, and where has he been?"


	15. Explanations and Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tensions between Cory and Tommy grow after Cory wakes up angry. He explains what happened and they try to figure out their next plan of action.

Tommy felt his lips turn downwards in a frown. "So I'm still suspicious to you?" He asked. Cory watched, his blue eye reflecting a dull anger. "Of course you are! You're the reason all of this has happened!" He snapped. Tommy froze, staring at his blond friend.  
"I-I..." He stuttered, at a loss for words. "And now you don't have anything to defend yourself!" Cory continued mercilessly. "Cory!" Ashlie cut in. He slowly shuffled over to the male, jabbing a finger at his chest. "If you hadn't gone off to help the bitch, Nick wouldn't have gotten hurt, nor would he be hurting others!" He added.  
"Cory!" UNi exclaimed in horror. Tommy remained planted where he was, his wide brown eyes locked on the male in front of him. "And now Ashlie's injured, and I'm injured because you couldn't stay with us!" He finished. "Cory, that's enough! You can't just belittle him like that with no context!" Ashlie snapped defensively.  
"No, no. He's right. Everything he's said is right." Tommy spoke up, his tone defeated. "Tommy!" UNi shouted. Tommy focused his brown eyed gaze on Cory's seething blue one. He could see the despair and loathing shining in the blond's eyes, but that didn't calm his anger.  
"I almost died protecting Ashlie from Nick because of your selfishness." He added in a venomous tone. Tommy remained quiet, his eyes trailing to the ground. "Cory! Way to make him feel bad!" UNi snapped. "He's already guilty enough!" Ashlie added as she moved over to Tommy. "It's alright, Tom. He just doesn't understand." She spoke comfortingly.  
"But do you understand?" Tommy asked, lifting his head to the dark ginger. "Of course I do. I know that you couldn't help what happened and didn't mean for Nick to get hurt." She spoke softly and lightly. UNi shot a glare at Cory.  
"You don't even understand what he's been through." He said angrily. "What he's been through? He's been up the Siren's ass!" Cory argued. "Not because he wanted to be!" UNi snapped back. Cory narrowed his normal eye, his camera eye adjusting to his gaze.  
"What do you mean?" He asked. "I haven't wanted any of this to happen. I was under the Siren's control." Tommy spoke up. "Under the... So she manipulated you?" Cory questioned, sounding unconvinced. "And she's doing the same to Nick, to a much larger degree." Ashlie cut in.  
"She's using him as her puppet-her personal plaything. She'll use him to kill us, and then most likely kill him." Tommy explained. Cory blinked in confusion. "She's going to kill us, then him... But wouldn't she need him if more people come?" He questioned. "I imagine she would just take someone else in their group." Tommy answered.  
"How do you know all this stuff?" Cory asked the blond. "I may have been under the Siren's control, but I still had some free will." The blond said. "The only thing I can't remember is when I returned to you guys and attacked Nick..." He added quietly.  
Ashlie bit her lips, twirling her fingers around a small object. UNi glanced at the female's hands. "Nick's glasses! How do you still have them?" He asked. She shrugged. "They were on the ground." She answered lightly, staring at them absently. Cory looked over at her. Tommy glanced at her, his gaze riddled with guilt. "It's my fault she's taking this so hard..." He thought.  
UNi turned his gaze to his blond friend, a frown working its way onto his lips. "It'll be alright, Tom." He whispered to him. Tommy shook his head mutely. Cory looked at him, heaving a sigh.  
\-------------------  
Darkness wreathed the area as the tall brunette walked into the house. Red eyes lit up the area in front of him as he came to a halt. "Well done, puppet. You could have done better, though." She spoke lightly, pleasure dripping in her voice. "The blond one will be your primary target next time. He is already weak." She said.  
Nick nodded. "What shall be the next plan of action?" She asked lightly. He raised his eyebrows. "Perhaps splitting them up and killing them one by one?" She asked with a hint of questioning, as if Nick would answer. The girl caressed his cheek. "They will have no other choice than to die if they are alone. They would never hurt their precious friend." She added, a devious hint to her voice.  
"I want the girl dead first. She would never raise a hand against the man that means so much to her."


	16. Regrouping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The four remaining members of the squad move on in their search for generators once they are sure Nick or the Siren won't be returning.

Ashlie looked at her friends with a small frown. UNi ruffled his blue hair and adjusted his dirtied glasses with a small sigh. Cory squirmed restlessly nearby, messing with his bandages and stitches. "Cory, stop messing with them." UNi spoke as he noticed the blond's movements. Cory shook his head and grunted. "Fine."  
Ashlie looked over at her two blond friends, the frown deepening at Tommy's drooping stance. She wanted to comfort him in some way, but she knew that he would only shoo her away, saying that she wouldn't understand. She felt at the glasses in her shallow short pockets, biting her lip. She also knew that Tommy also felt bad about Nick's condition, and she wanted the brunette to be with her more than anything, but they needed to focus on getting out of this place first.  
"Are we just going to stand here or are we going to accomplish something?" Cory asked boredly. The others knew by his expression that he was in pain and just wanted to escape this hell. "We only have two or so generators left to do, so we should get moving." UNi suggested with a hopeful tone. Cory nodded. "If we only have that many left, maybe we should split up again, since that seemed to work so well last time." Tommy spoke up, trying to sound cheerful.  
The other three looked dubious. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea. That worked well for us, but you and Nick, not so much." Ashlie intervened, managing a small smile. "I understand you just want to get out of here, but at this point we need to stay together. We aren't sure what the Siren's next plan of action will be." She added when she noticed the taller blond's frown. Tommy's brown eyes darted between his three friends, a look of renewed hope on his face. Cory started walking. "Let's get going then."  
\----------------------  
The Siren watched the group through a particularly thick copse of trees, a rusty knife gripped loosely in her her hand. Nick stood beside her, keeping low but remaining close to the female. "Ah, the hope of escape for the fresh mind. If only they knew how wrong they were." She purred in delight, her bright red eyes shining in front of her. Nick glanced at the Siren out of the corner of his eyes, although he said nothing.  
"Just a word to the wise, my puppet. If you are considering struggling out of my control, you will be killed immediately." The girl spoke in the brunette's head without looking at him. He blinked his big brown eyes. "Don't think I didn't notice the subtle notes of your wish for escape." She added. The pleasure was no longer in her voice and it was replaced with a deadly serious tone. "I've heard the few thoughts you've had to yourself. Why do you think I'm sending you after the she-witch first? It isn't out of the goodness of my nonexistent heart." She continued.  
The brunette froze as if he had been caught snooping. "I will have to reinforce my hold. You are certainly the most stubborn people I've come across in my years-very hard to break." She pointed out, although it wasn't a compliment by the tone of her voice. She forced the brunette to turn his gaze to her.  
"I want you to trail them. They may split up at some point and I want you to be there when they do." She commanded with a no-nonsense tone of voice. Nick slowly nodded his head. "I will probably stay here for a bit before returning to the manor. Return to me victorious or return to me for death."  
She forced the male to stand and ushered him on his way. "Do not let them become aware of your presence until you are ready to strike." She spoke in his head as he disappeared from her sight. She twirled her knife with a deft flick of her hand as she moved from behind a tree. "Now the question is whether I want to go a different route after them or wander." She mumbled to herself. A malignant smile worked its way onto her lips as she walked off.  
\----------------------  
Tommy looked at Cory out of the corner of his eye as he walked along beside the short dark ginger. The blond seemed intent on remaining quiet and staring straight ahead. The British man was walking beside him quietly, his hands idly messing with some fabric on his shirt. Ashlie looked over at Cory with a small frown. Cory tore his gaze away from ahead of him and looked at the three around him.  
"Why are you staring at me?" He questioned with a hint of fear. They immediately looked away. "Is something wrong? Did I pull my stitches apart?" He pressed on. "No, no. Your stitches are fine, Cory. We were just wondering how you were doing." UNi intervened gently. Tommy opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it. Ashlie looked over at the taller blond, and then the other. "I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" He answered.  
"Because you're hurt." Ashlie spoke while looking at Tommy. "It's not a big deal. UNi helped me out and I'm fine now." Cory pressed. UNi adjusted his glasses with a worried glance. "You can tell us if you need to stop and take a break." He said. "We don't need to do that." Cory argued. "The faster we get the generators fixed, the faster we can help Nick and escape." He added. UNi made a face. "Alright..."  
Ashlie was still watching Tommy. He looked away from Cory and kept his gaze fixed on the ground below him. She reached out to gently touch his arm. "Tom? Is everything alright? It's not the Siren is it?" She whispered comfortingly. Tommy blinked his brown eyes and looked over at the ginger quickly. "No, of course not! I'm just counting the specks of dirt on the ground!" He spoke, trying to push as much enthusiasm into his words as he could. Ashlie frowned, her blue eyes fixed on him, although she didn't say anymore.  
\--------------------  
UNi maneuvered the group through some trees. He looked back at the three behind him, carefully checking Cory over with his gaze. Cory was currently the last person in line of the group. UNi noticed the sweat trickling down the sides of his face. He pressed on, trying to get them away from the trees as quickly as possible.  
Ashlie glanced at Tommy out of the corner of her eye. Tommy looked at UNi and then at the surrounding trees. "I think we're near the area where Nick and I first moved." He spoke. UNi turned his gaze back at the two walking together. "How are you sure? You said you didn't remember that time." Tommy shook his head. "I'm not sure. It's just a feeling I have." He said.  
Cory remained silent, trudging along behind them. "If you're sure. Did you hear a generator?" He asked. Tommy shook his head. "I-I don't know. I don't remember such finite details." Ashlie looked around the area, casting a quick glance at the trailing blond. She moved over to UNi. "I think we should stop. Cory doesn't look so good." She whispered. "We have to get through this copse of trees before we can stop." He answered, although she could hear the worry in his voice.  
They walked along for another few feet before a thump sounded behind them. "Cory!" Tommy exclaimed, causing Ashlie and UNi to quickly turn around to face the two. Cory had face planted on the ground, his back moving with quick, shallow breaths. Tommy was kneeling beside him, reaching to move him off his stomach. The two quickly joined him and moved the blond around, propping him against a tree. UNi lifted up the blond's shirt and examined the stitches, sweat dripping onto his hands.  
"Guys, this isn't good."


	17. Problems

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cory has collapsed from his injury and things aren't looking too good. Another med-pack is needed and the group isn't alone.

"What is it?" Tommy questioned, his voice anxious and strained. UNi moved so the other two could look at the wound. Ashlie's eyes widened and she covered her mouth with a sleeved hand. "How did it get so bad so quickly?" He breathed in astonishment. UNi shook his head. "I have no idea, but he was clearly trying to pass it off so we couldn't find out." He answered.  
Tommy stood and started pacing. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't turned Nick over to the Siren, Cory wouldn't be in this predicament." He mumbled. Ashlie swung her gaze to the blond. "If you say that one more time, I'm going to slap you again." She threatened, her voice low to hide her grief. "It isn't your fault and that is that." Tommy opened his mouth to speak again and was quickly stopped by a glare from the short female. He went back to pacing. "We need to find another med-pack. Maybe it will help with the infection." She suggested.  
UNi shook his head. "He needs a comfortable place where he can be cared for until his body fixes the infection." He argued. "In case you haven't noticed, UNi, that isn't anywhere around here currently." Tommy intervened without looking at the hair-dyed Brit. UNi rubbed his glasses tiredly. He looked like he wanted to cry. "I know that Tommy." He snapped, although his voice held no scorn-only exhaustion. "Do you have a cloth and water?" He asked the ginger female and she shook her head. "I forgot the med pack back where we were." She mumbled.  
"We need a med-pack or Cory will die for sure." Tommy spoke up. "I'll go find one." He added. UNi shook his head and looked at Cory's strained face, his fast breaths. "I'll go. You two stay here in case something happens." He quickly stood and glanced around the area before disappearing into the dark trees. Ashlie looked over at the pacing blond. "What do you think will happen?" She asked. Tommy shook his head.  
"God will smite us for our ever-growing list of sins." He mumbled under his breath, his gaze raking through the treeline. "I feel like the Siren or Nick could jump out at us at any time." He added louder. Ashlie's bow swished as she turned her head to look at the surrounding trees. "Do you ever...you know...feel the Siren's presence when she is nearby?" She questioned curiously. Tommy's face went slack as he moved. "All the time. I may not be her precious pet anymore, but she torments me endlessly. She doesn't actually say anything, but I can just hear her voice whispering in my head like she's actually there." He explained, his brown eyed gaze becoming distant.  
"I'm free, but am I really? What I've done will always be with me and I will never be able to forget that seductive voice commanding me to kill you guys like you were flys." He continued. Ashlie's blue eyes watched him sympathetically. She knew she should comfort him, but how do you comfort a broken will? Tommy turned his gaze to her while she was lost in thought and he stopped pacing. "Do you think she's doing this? Or is it the influence?" He asked desperately. He wanted more than anything to be able to blame the monster in his head, but there wasn't anything to blame if it was all his own mind.  
Ashlie shook her head fiercely. "I-I don't know, Tom." She slowly stood and reached up to lay a hand on his light cheek, looking into his chocolate brown eyes. She thought she saw a speck of blue in them, but when she blinked, it was gone. "I can't answer that Tommy, but just know, none of this is your fault. The Siren is the reason for this mess, and if she is messing with your mind it is purely out of spite, not because she desires your company again." She spoke truthfully as her eyes locked on his. Tommy placed his larger hand over hers. "Thank you Ashlie." He whispered.  
Ashlie broke the gaze and wrenched her hand gently away. She would do anything to comfort the male, to ease his troubled mind, but her thoughts quickly wandered to Nick. She wanted to be able to comfort or help him more than anything in the world. She wanted to cup his hand between her own and reassure him that they didn't love him any less for the hell that has occurred. She wanted to sit with him and talk with him for hours, make him understand how innocent he actually was. More than anything, she wanted to kiss his cheeks to make him feel better. Nick had always had the most fragile ego and mind of the group, and this was sure to cause a breakdown when he returned to them.  
She focused her gaze when she heard a groan come from the camera-eyed blond. She fell to her knees beside him, placing a hand on his forehead to feel for a fever. Sweat still trickled down his face and the heat on the back of Ashlie's hand caused her to frown. "Do you have a handkerchief or cloth that I can use, Tom?" She asked without looking at him. "Uh, I think so." He answered awkwardly, feeling around in his pockets until he found it, crouching next to her and wiping the sweat off the other blond's face. Ashlie picked up his shirt and examined the stitches.  
"They're swollen and red..." She mumbled. "His body is reacting to the material from the knife, most likely." Tommy answered without pause. "If he doesn't get tetanus, this wound is going to continue to be extremely painful for a while." He added. Ashlie looked at him in surprise. "How do you know all this?" She questioned. "I have some medical knowledge." He replied simply. She slowly nodded and looked down at the blond. His eyes were fluttering, but didn't open.  
\---------------------  
UNi looked around the wooded area around him wearily. His glasses started to fall off his face and he quickly adjusted them. His mind was racing knowing that he could be attacked by Nick, or even the Siren. He just wanted to get the med-pack and return to his friends as quickly as possible. He noticed the lamppost from a generator and walked towards it. He glanced around the surrounding area for a chest and eventually found one, rummaging through it until he was practically touching the bottom of the chest.  
He pulled the small pack out of the chest triumphantly and smiled slightly. He closed the lid as quietly as he could and turned to look at the generator. He wanted to work on the generator while it was in his vicinity, but he knew he should get the materials to Cory as soon as he got them. He shook his head and crept over to the hunk of metal and crouched down beside it, pausing when he heard the murmur of voices.  
\----------------------  
"What a welcome sight." A voice spoke behind the three, a smirk in the sound of his voice. Ashlie and Tommy quickly spun around to face the voice. Nick stood twirling a knife, his glassless face twisted into a cruel sneer. "I never thought I'd meet the thorn in my side in person." Another voice responded darkly. Tommy's blood went cold as he recognized the voice. "Siren." He breathed shortly. The red eyes of the female were the first to appear, shortly followed by the form of her. Ashlie's blue eyes shone with a fury so intense, she thought there were flames in her eyes.  
"Why are you here." The female spoke in detached syllables. The Siren chuckled with her airy voice, although it was not even close to a sound of pleasure. "I couldn't come visit my former pet whom I love so dearly?" She responded instead, ignoring the question. Time seemed to freeze to Tommy. The voice in his head that had been taunting him slowly seemed to materialize in front of him as the form of the Siren, his head throbbing as if it had a built in tracker. "You were actually speaking to me." He spoke, his voice cracking halfway through.  
If beams of light could shine with amusement, they had in that moment. A twisted smile appeared on the beaten monster's face as she processed what the blond had said. "But of course, my dear pet. What I wouldn't wish for you to return to me." She replied. Nick watched Ashlie with a hungry expression, his light blue eyes glowing.  
"It's a shame it won't happen. Ladies and gentleman, the clock is broken."


	18. Face-to-Face

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nick and the group clash once again, but something different happens. The Siren is in for a surprise.

The Siren examined the two before her. "Puppet, kill them. The girl first." She commanded. Tommy moved defensively in front of Ashlie, his gaze locked on Nick as he advanced on them, his blue eyes alight. Ashlie placed her hands on Tommy's back and leaned up towards his ear. "Don't hurt him." She whispered. He nodded slightly. She moved down, feeling the brunette's glasses shift in her short pocket. Tommy's brown eyes darted to the Siren fearfully. He knew she was going to try something, but he wasn't sure what.  
The Siren toyed with her weapon absently, seemingly not paying attention to the confrontation. The wind picked up, causing her torn hair to blow in her face. "So, my beautiful pet, are you going to continue getting in my way?" She asked him in his head. He tried to act like the voice didn't startle him. "Until my last breath." He thought in answer. "Then that shall be arranged." She replied.  
Ashlie felt the blond tense under her hands and she glanced up at him. She noticed the blue specks in his eyes once again. She watched him, furrowing her brows. "Now Tommy, can't you just move away from Ashlie? I promise I won't make it too brutal." Nick spoke, his strange voice reflecting his delight. "Not going to happen." Tommy replied steadily. Nick kept advancing, twirling his knife. "What are we going to do, Tommy? We have to help Nick..." She whispered to the blond. "I'm not sure what to do." He whispered in reply.  
"I thought you had a plan, wonderful pet." The Siren cooed in his head, her red eyes glowing brightly. "Why don't you just step aside?" She added. Tommy shook his head. "No. I'm not moving." He replied somewhat unsteadily. Ashlie looked up at the blond, her blue eyes widening in fear. "Tommy, go find UNi. I'll try and help Nick." She spoke. He lowered his arms and looked at her. "Are you sure?" She nodded.  
He furrowed his brows and steadied his gaze on the brunette advancing on them. "Be careful. It's not as easy as you'd think." He whispered and ran off. Ashlie watched him go before turning her gaze on the two before her. "Now it's just you and me, Siren." She said. The Siren nodded and looked at her hands, using her knife to file her nails. "It seems so. My poor pet couldn't handle my presence. I hope he doesn't hurt your friend." She replied, a malicious smile working its way onto her lips.  
The ginger put her hands down to her sides and felt the glasses in her pocket. She could feel her resolve grow stronger. She was going to get Nick back, no matter what. She wanted the intimate nights to come back, and she wasn't going to stop until she got them back. She focused on the brunette and smiled. His blue eyes still glowed with an intense hunger, but he seemed to have faltered slightly. She took a step towards him. He stopped, watching her. She spread her arms at either side of her body.  
"Go ahead, Nick. Stab me or do whatever you want to kill me."  
\---------------  
Tommy ran through the woods, looking around wildly. He wanted to yell out for the male, but he didn't want to cause any unnecessary noise. He slowed to a walk and glanced around. He breathed out and closed his eyes. He didn't know why the Siren's words made him feel so anxious. He thought of the time he spent as the Siren's pet and shuddered. Nick's shouts as he advanced on him were sure to haunt his dreams. He opened his brown eyes and searched the surrounding area, hearing the hum of a generator and the clank of gears as they started. In front of him stood the hunk of metal in question, and beside it was UNi, leaning against it.  
He crouched down next to him. "UNi?" He asked fearfully. The Brit looked up at the sound of his friend's voice. "Tommy. What are you doing here?" He questioned, wiping some dirt from his glasses. "I came to look for you." He replied, hesitating on mentioning the Siren and Nick. The male furrowed his brows in confusion and fear. "Is it Cory? Has he gotten worse?" He asked quickly. The blond shook his head quickly. "No, no. It's actually the Siren." He spoke, his brown eyes focused on the male in front of him.  
UNi's expression immediately changed to one of anger. "What about her? Has she kidnapped Cory too?" He spat. Tommy instinctively flinched back from the male's anger. "No. She came for us." He whispered. "And you left Ashlie and Cory alone?!" He shouted. Tommy looked at the ground in shame and then looked back up, something inside him snapping.  
"You have no idea how hard it is to see her again! You don't seem to think so, but I regret everything I did while I was her pet!" He clenched his fists against the ground. "She isn't just some pain in the ass, she's a mental manipulator!" He shouted, his brown eyes alight with anger. UNi opened his mouth to stammer a response, his large brown eyes wide in surprise, his anger forgotten.  
"Oh, Tommy. I didn't mean to-" "Save it, UNi." Tommy interrupted and stood. UNi watched him forlornly. "Are you going to help us or not?" Tommy asked. UNi quickly stood and brushed the dirt off of his clothes. He watched the blond sadly. "I didn't mean to make you angry." The blue-haired male whispered. Tommy froze.  
"Tommy?" He asked, moving closer to him. Tommy cried out, clutching his head. "Tommy!" UNi exclaimed in horror. The male fell to the ground, gasping. "I may be free, but her influence still lingers." He spoke through gasps. UNi crouched next to the male and watched him. "What is she doing? Can I help?" He questioned. The male closed his brown eyes. "Get back to the others. I don't want to hurt you."  
"I'm not leaving another person behind!" UNi argued. Tommy opened his eyes and glanced at him. The brown was dull, hinted with specks of blue. "Please, UNi." He pleaded. UNi shook his head. "I'm staying until you're okay."  
\----------  
Nick moved closer to Ashlie, readying his knife. Ashlie watched him without flinching. He moved until he was face-to-face with her and stopped, his eyes boring into hers.  
Suddenly, he tackled her, raising his knife to stab her. She didn't fight him, but she watched his movements. If the Siren's spell could withstand this, she was ready to die. He started to drive the knife down towards her chest. She squinted her eyes, ready for the pain. She opened her eyes when she never felt it. The blade had stopped right above her chest. She looked up at him and smiled.  
"Nick..."


	19. Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nick manages to break free of the Siren's grasp, and she retreats to the safety of her hiding place.

Nick looked down at the female with trembling hands, one eye the bright, Siren blue, the other the rich chocolate brown. He gripped the knife with his other hand to keep from accidentally piercing her chest from his shaking. Tears brimmed in both of his eyes and threatened to spill over. "Ashlie..." He whispered, his voice shaking from sorrow and strain. It was clear that he wasn't entirely free from the Siren's grasp.  
"Nick..." Ashlie breathed with a shaky exhale of breath. "I've missed you so much..." She whispered. She reached a hand up to touch his cheek, but he flinched away. "D-Don't touch me..." He spoke. The female frowned. "I'll hurt you, I know it... I already almost did..." He mumbled breathlessly, the blade in his hands shuddering from stress. She shook her head in response. "I don't care, Nick. I know it wasn't you." She retorted gently, her natural blue eyes glittering.  
"Yes, very sweet. Now finish her off, puppet." The Siren interjected boredly. Nick's hand moved closer to her chest, tearing the fabric of her sweater slightly. His eyes widened in terror, the grip on the knife tightening. "No, stop!!" He shouted, pure fear laced through his voice. Ashlie's gaze was focused on the male. She didn't have the resolve to panic. If Nick couldn't stop the Siren before he pierced her heart, there was nothing to do to save him from the creature, and she didn't want to live in a world without Nick.  
The Siren turned her gaze away from her knife and locked her gaze on the female underneath her puppet. Her eyes were shining with an intense delight, her lips curled into such an intense, malicious smile, they should have been cracked. Ashlie drifted her gaze over to the female quickly before returning it to her friend. "Darling puppet, you must not let your feelings cloud your judgement. Don't you wish to please me with this deed?" The female spoke, her voice heavily seductive.  
The male's eyes trembled and his body tensed. The brunette was fighting extremely hard for his freedom. The Siren walked over to the two, crouching near Nick's ear. "This girl will never give you the pleasure I will. I will make you the happiest man in the world." She whispered lightly, resting a hand on his back. Ashlie bit her lip until she drew blood. She wanted to strike out at the female, but she couldn't move for fear of being impaled by the short blade.  
"Please, Nick. She only wants you as a toy for her fantasies. I would never use you and abuse you like that." She pleaded fearfully. She knew the Siren's constant pestering was only crumbling the barrier the brunette had erected to break free. The puppet she despised so much was more than willing to be a sex and killing toy, but the tender-hearted Nick she loved was appalled by that thought. The Siren couldn't help but laugh at the female's statement. "I would only use him that way if he so desired it." She replied honestly. The ginger gave the former such a venomous look, she could make spiders sick.  
"You know all too well that that is what he would want." She spat harshly. The Siren ran a hand down Nick's cheek, leaning in to lick a tear from his face. The male had seemed to freeze, his conscious confused to the point he wasn't sure which argument sounded more viable. Ashlie lifted an arm. "Don't touch him, you sex freak!" She shouted. Nick slightly snapped out of his stupor, some control of his body returning. He glanced down at Ashlie, who was glaring at the Siren with an angry gaze.  
"Just a little bit more, my puppet." The Siren prompted, reaching her hand out to the knife. The male wanted to jump away, move his hand away from hers, but he didn't have enough control to do so. The female clasped her hand around the brunette's trembling hands. She helped him raise the blade above his head. "No, no, no, no, no!!" He repeated, trying his hardest to stop the female's movements, but she was way stronger than he was in his confused state. He watched as if from a distance as the knife pierced Ashlie's skin and she cried out in pain.  
Ashlie gasped in pain and cried out as the blade sunk into the skin just to the right of her heart. The wound wasn't deep, but it hurt like hell. She could feel the heat of the blade and blood as the Siren slowly pulled the blade away from the torn flesh. The tears in Nick's eyes flowed freely in large rivulets now and she could tell by the strain in his brown eye, that he was fighting with every fiber of his being to get the blade away. Her vision blurred, whether from tears or pain, the ginger couldn't tell.  
The Siren leaned down to her ear and smiled. "You think this is the worst of your problems, but my pet is fighting for his freedom at this very moment, alone." She spoke happily, enunciating the word alone. She closed her eyes as an intense wave of heat passed through her body and pain shivered through her like electricity. "Nick... You can escape. Break free and help Tommy." She thought as her consciousness drifted in and out.  
The Siren ran her bloody hand along Nick's chin and stood. She bent down and placed a deep kiss on the male's lips and noticed with satisfaction that his body moved to return the kiss. "Go away, go away!!" Nick shouted in his mind angrily, closing his eyes. The Siren formed her lips into a smile, without breaking the kiss. "Oh dear puppet, I will await the day you fully regain control of your body. When you do, I will gladly sacrifice myself on a hook." She answered him in thought, smugly. She broke the kiss and straightened. "I am returning to my manor, my puppet. I trust that you will succeed in my mission." She spoke over her shoulder as she disappeared into the darkness. Ashlie noticed with a sick resignation, that the female looked like a fallen angel as her body melded into the shadows.  
Nick threw the knife aside with a jerky, angry motion. He moved off of his friend's body and tried to reach down to help her, but he felt his hands curl around her throat. Ashlie reached a hand up to touch his cheek. "Please come back to me, Nick. I need you." She strained.  
"Nick!"


	20. Unsure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> UNi returns with the much needed med-pack and finds that he had just missed quite the fight. Meanwhile, Cory isn't doing too good.

Nick strained to turn his head towards the direction of the voice. UNi stood a few feet away with wide eyes. The British male immediately noticed the latter's brown eye. He stepped forward, his legs threatening to give out from stress. Ashlie slowly lifted her eyelids and focused on the male. "UNi..." She whispered. "Ashlie." UNi responded, dropping to his knees. His large brown eyes were wild with fear. Nick cast his eyes away from the male.  
He wanted to say something to make the situation more understandable, but judging by the male's expression, he'd blow everything out of proportion. UNi seemed to have frozen in place, noticing the female's blood-stained sweater. "Nick, what did you do...?" He asked. He opened his mouth to respond, but no words came. How could he explain his confused state to the clearly frightened male?  
"UNi, where's Tommy?" Ashlie asked while Nick was distracted. She weakly pulled his hands away from her throat and held them tightly. Nick looked at her in surprise. Her grip was surprisingly strong for her weakened state. "Tommy..." He started, his voice cracking. "Tommy, sent me to get you guys. He said the Siren was toying with him." He finished unsteadily. Ashlie's blue eyes widened in horror. "She was right, Nick..." She whispered. "Of course she was right." The strange voice that belonged to the puppet Nick responded.  
Nick squeezed her hands lightly, closing his eyes. "Ashlie." He spoke calmly when he gained control of his vocal cords again. The female focused her blue gaze on the brunette. "Yes Nick?" She asked. "I need you to kiss me." He replied. UNi and Ashlie's eyes widened. "K-Kiss you? Why?" She whispered as if she had no breath. "I need to gain enough control to help you and Cory..." The male responded, opening his eyes. The blue eye seemed to be flickering as if a strobe light was trying to change color.  
UNi started to say something, but quickly stopped when Ashlie slammed her lips onto Nick's with an odd gentleness for her rush. Nick returned the kiss without a moment's hesitation, closing his eyes again. Ashlie unwound one of their hands and moved hers to the back of Nick's head. He kept his hand still and slowly pulled away, opening his eyes. The blue still lingered in one of his eyes, but it was faint. "Did you get that med-pack, UNi?" He asked hurriedly, getting straight to business while he had control. UNi quickly handed the material to his friend and sat anxiously as the male cleaned and bandaged Ashlie's wound and moved to Cory's wound to clean it with water.  
Cory groaned as Nick dabbed at the red stitches. He seemed to be coming out of one of his fever dreams, although his eyes didn't open. Ashlie closed her eyes as well, trying to catch her breath. She was still in shock over kissing Nick, the real Nick. She thought of the other Nick and suppressed a shudder. He had always seemed to have a strange expression on his face when he had seen her. It bothered her thinking that he would have been willing to sexually attack her if he had really wanted to.  
Nick glanced over at UNi. "You're going to have to help Ashlie walk. I'm going with you to help Tommy while I still can." He spoke. UNi nodded mutely. He seemed to note at the same time as the ginger that he kept referring to himself as if he were losing to a disease. Ashlie forced her eyes open and looked over at Cory, who rested easily. The water had seemed to help the aggravation of the stitches, but it was clear the infection wasn't just going to fix itself immediately.  
UNi helped his female friend stand and she leaned against him to support herself. The male bent to pick up her body, but she shook her head. "I can walk, just help me." She responded to his confused expression. He nodded. "Are you going to be able to walk that far?" He asked. "I'm sure I can, and if I can't, that is when you can pick me up." She said, biting her lip. She hated showing how weak she was, especially in this situation.  
Nick hefted Cory onto his back and released a sigh. "Let's go. Grab the med-pack, UNi." He spoke without hesitation. UNi did as he was told and helped Ashlie walk along behind Nick, letting her use his right shoulder to support herself, offering his arm if she lost balance. The group moved silently, a hint of tension in the air. Nick was fine for now, but how long until the Siren gained control again?  
Nick seemed to sense the question hanging in the air and turned his head to look at the two. "I'm fine right now, I promise. The Siren's influence is the least of our problems currently." He replied, his mouth twitching slightly. "It is a big problem, Nick. What if you lose control and attack us? Tommy won't be able to help us and Cory is clearly out of commission." UNi argued lightly, his tone worried. Ashlie nodded silently.  
"I won't let it happen. I'm helping Tommy." He cut in sharply. Ashlie pursed her lips and remained silent. "It isn't going to be that easy, Nick..." She thought in response. UNi glanced over at his companion with a frown.  
"How much further, UNi?" Nick asked. "It's just ahead. When you hear a generator, we're nearby." He responded, looking at his surroundings. The trio quieted and listened for the familiar hum of the generator. Within a few feet, they heard it. UNi moved ahead of Nick and led the rest of the way to the metallic object.  
Tommy was leaned against the generator, his eyes closed and his breath fast. His hands were tightly clenched on his head, and his features were contorted in pain. "Tommy!" Ashlie exclaimed, hurrying over to him and tripping at his feet. She released a few quick breaths before moving over to him. Tommy opened his eyes with an extreme effort. The blue she hated so much was speckling his eyes and practically changing their color.  
"Ash!" He gasped breathlessly. She placed a hand on his left knee comfortingly. "We're here to help." She spoke. UNi moved over next to Ashlie and smiled at Tommy. "How's it going, friend?" He asked. "I could be..." He grimaced. "Better." Nick carefully set Cory down on the ground and walked over to Tommy.  
Tommy glanced up and noticed Nick. "Why are you here?" He ground out between clenched teeth. Nick smiled his sweet, gentle smile. The blond blinked, finally noticing his eye color. "You're-You're actually Nick..." He mumbled in disbelief. "How?" Nick squatted next to his friend. "It's a long story, I'll tell you later." He answered. Tommy nodded, closing his mouth as a fresh wave of pain washed over him.  
"How do we stop this?" Ashlie asked. She looked over to Nick for an answer,noticing him clench his left hand into a tight fist. "We have to do something that will break the influence." He replied after a slight hesitation. UNi shook his head, his blue hair moving. "How do we do that?" He asked. "Think of something that will either surprise or shock him to the point that the influence will be severed." Nick responded.  
"How about I kick his ass?" A familiar male voice asked angrily, causing Tommy's eyes to widen in shock.


	21. Disbelief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guilt-ridden Nick does his best to help the group after what he had done, but someone gives him a very strange pep talk.

The three turned their heads to look in the direction of the voice. "Cory!" Ashlie exclaimed. The blond stood nearby, holding on to some rubble with his left hand and wiping sweat with his right. The male looked weak and unsteady, but his blue eye burned with anger. "This is why you piss me off, Tommy. You always go prancing around, trying to be the hero and hiding what you're really feeling. How long has she been talking to you? Have you ever really been on our side in this place?" He spat angrily, taking a step forward.  
Tommy seemed too shocked to be able to respond. The fact that his friend looked so healthy and so angry left him speechless. He didn't expect him to be so angry about the Siren's constant toying with him. Ashlie furrowed her brows. "Cory..." She mumbled. UNi opened his mouth to speak, but was quickly shut up by a glare from the blond. Nick seemed hesitant to meet his eyes, looking down at the ground instead.  
Cory narrowed his eyes at the brunette. "And you, Nick." He said, his voice icy. Cory took another step forward and crouched next to the male. "You ou-" "Cory, don't you dare!" Ashlie cut him off angrily. The male turned his gaze to his female friend. "And why not?" He asked with a natural tone of voice. "You haven't learned anything from your fight with me." Tommy responded before Ashlie could speak. Cory raised an eyebrow as he looked back at the blond.  
"And what should I have learned?" He asked. "Because you don't know the pain and hardship of being a toy for her deeds." Tommy replied, his voice deadly calm. He had recovered from his shock and now seemed to be very angry. Nick clenched his fists and looked over at Ashlie. She looked back at him steadily. He was losing control already, she could tell by the look in his eyes. "Cory, it's not as simple as just willing yourself to be free." Nick spoke without breaking eye contact with Ashlie. "It's not just your body being stolen-it's also your will." He added.  
Cory seemed surprised by the male's words. He couldn't have begun to comprehend what he was saying, but he could tell by the urgency in the brunette's tone that he was serious. "Then how do we help you?" He asked finally. "Cut it off at the source." Tommy replied. Ashlie broke eye contact with Nick and looked over at her friend. UNi watched him. He seemed to have been able to push her away, his brown eyes still reflecting tiny specks of bright blue.  
Nick went silent and looked at the ground, intentionally avoiding Cory's gaze. He had to remain calm or the Siren would take control again, but the guilt clawing at his heart was so immense he could barely breathe. He knew that if he thought about all the terrible things he did, he would surely lose control, but he couldn't block the images from his mind. His breath hitched, when he thought of how he had choked Ashlie until she had nearly passed out.  
Ashlie looked over at the brunette, reaching her hand out to his. Cory coughed to break the silence. He wanted to speak up, but seemed hesitant to actually say it. Nick raised his eyebrows at the blond, quietly urging him to speak. Cory ambled over to the group, holding a hand out to steady himself. He settled himself onto the dirt and breathed out.  
"What did you want to say, Cory?" Nick asked. "What happened while I was unconscious?" He asked after a slight pause. Nick hesitated. "I was the Siren's puppet." He responded as he placed his right hand over his left wrist, squeezing it. "I kinda figured. What else?" He asked. Nick bit his lip.  
"The Siren sent me to follow you guys and we found you. I managed to gain enough control to speak to Ashlie, but not enough to control my movements... I stabbed her." He spoke. Ashlie put her hand over his. Cory raised his brows. UNi's eyes widened. "So that's what happened?" He questioned. Ashlie nodded. "You saw the rest of it." Nick answered. Tommy sat forward, his brown eyes sparkling.  
Cory shook his head. "I didn't, though." He intervened. Ashlie and Nick broke out in smiles. "Ashlie kissed me to help me break free from her hold. I patched you and Ashlie up and we headed over here to help Tommy." Nick explained. Cory ran a hand through his matted blond hair. It was thick with sweat and dirt and was sticking together in clumps. "I need a shower..." He mumbled. Ashlie giggled. "We all do, Cor." Tommy nodded, his gaze straying to the left of them, towards the house.  
"The Siren is getting restless. I can tell." He spoke up. The four looked over at the blond. "How do you know?" UNi asked. Tommy shook his head. "You can feel it too, can't you Nick?" He asked instead. Nick blinked slowly. "I do." Ashlie noticed that Nick was walking around without his glasses. She felt at her pocket. "Do you want your glasses back, Nick?" She asked as she dug the object out of her pocket. Nick looked over at her, a smile spreading across his lips. "You found them?" He asked. She nodded. "I've had them since you were first taken." She responded. He reached out to take them, pausing with his hand outstretched.  
"She's coming back." He spoke quickly, reaching for his outstretched hand. "She's going to take control again if she comes back." He said in a panic. His rich brown eyes were wide. Tommy looked over at the generator. "Let's at least get this generator done before we get out of here." He said. UNi nodded. "It's almost done, so it shouldn't take long." UNi, Tommy, and Ashlie moved over to the generator and worked on it while Cory tugged at his shirt impatiently. Nick paced back and forth, his hands clenching and unclenching as he walked. Ashlie looked over at the two and furrowed her brows. This group will be in need of some serious TLC after the ordeal. She could tell that Nick was struggling for control, not only of his emotions, but of his body. She would have to talk to him when she had the chance.  
"Will you ever have the chance, though?"


	22. Anxiety

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Siren toys with the group once again after she fails in swaying Tommy to her side.

The dark haired brunette glanced at Nick and then at Tommy. She could have sworn she had heard a feminine voice speak moments ago. The lights of the generator flickered on as the three finished re-wiring the hunk of metal. Ashlie glanced around warily. She was getting nervous now that she knew the Siren was on her way back to the group, and especially now that she had heard what could only be her voice.  
Nick turned his gaze to his best friend and caught the female's startled gaze. He walked over to her. "Is everything okay, Ash?" He questioned as lightly as possible. He had an incredible headache and he knew that it wouldn't be long before the Siren took over again. Ashlie cast her gaze over at the brunette and shook her head. "The Siren just talked to me..." She whispered as quietly as possible, as not to alarm the other three nearby. Nick's brown eyes widened slightly. "What did she say?" He asked urgently.  
"She said, 'What if you never get the chance?' She knew what I was thinking about, Nick." Ashlie answered just as urgently. Her blue eyes sparked with anxiety and fear. Nick adjusted his footing nervously. He knew that things were going to get chaotic quickly, but Ashlie's statement sent chills down his spine. "We have to tell the others." He spoke suddenly. Ashlie blinked in confusion. "Why?" She asked. "We can't keep them in the dark. They'll need to know if we can get out of here." He added without acknowledging her question.  
Ashlie turned her gaze to the three, who were huddled close together, glancing around the surrounding area. "I guess you're right. We need to find the last generator as quickly as possible, so we can get it finished before the Siren comes for us." She agreed after a pause. Nick nodded and ushered the three over.  
"So what are we doing?" UNi asked, his eyes wide with fear but his voice steady. "We are finding that last generator." Nick answered as calmly as he could. He knew that UNi would go into a full-on panic attack if the brunette was anything other than calm in this situation. Cory glanced around the area. "That's all fine and dandy, but we have no idea where it is and, in case you've forgotten, we have a stalker woman after us." He argued, although his voice wavered slightly. As someone who had almost died from a stab wound mere hours ago, he had every right to be afraid of the demented woman.  
"We just have to look. Clearly she's biding her time for now." Tommy interjected, looking at each group member in turn. "I can feel her presence or something. She's in the house right now." He added. Cory ran a dirty hand across his camera lens; a tired gesture. UNi shook his head slowly, as if he was arguing with himself. "We've only got one chance, guys. Now is our time to get moving before she comes." Tommy added.  
Nick nodded his agreement and turned around. "Let's start looking."  
\--------------------  
The group of five wandered through the woods quietly. It was clear that everyone had more important thoughts to preoccupy themselves, than to actually talk out loud to each other. Tommy was preoccupied with monitoring the Siren's presence, biting his lip slightly as he walked along beside Cory. The blond seemed to be getting tired, but left no indication of his exhaustion. The male seemed content walking along silently, his eyes trailing over the ground.  
Nick and Ashlie walked side-by-side, also quiet. Ashlie stole glances over at the male when she got bored of the scenery in front of her. Nick didn't notice. The Siren's impending arrival left him on edge and the silence comforted him just a little bit. The whole group seemed to be getting increasingly anxious and tense. They knew that bad things were going to happen, and they weren't sure if they could stop them.  
Nick was the most anxious of all of them; he didn't know when he was going to lose control again, and he didn't want to be close to the others when it happened. He would be willing to stab himself before he hurt anyone else in that group.  
Tommy could feel the Siren prodding at his mind, as if finding a way to break through once again. She wanted control again, he knew just by the way her presence was worming its way into his thoughts.  
UNi was focused on his breathing, trying to keep it steady. He wasn't going to give the group any sort of indication that he was anything but fine. Things were getting chaotic already, but he was not going to freak out around them, not if he had any choice in the matter.  
Cory was exhausted. The infection was still writhing in his system, and he felt incredibly hot. He had a feeling his fever was back, but luckily the wound hadn't started bleeding again. If it did, he knew he wouldn't be able to walk much further before he had lost too much blood.  
\-------------------  
The Siren paced the entryway of the house, clearly wasting time. A malicious smirk spread across her face as she felt the anxiety and fear writhing in everyone's systems. She knew that Tommy was aware of her presence, but did the other three know? Nick was going to lose to her soon, just when she wanted her plan to slide into place.  
She was honestly surprised at the fact that they didn't know of her presence. She wasn't sure how she found her way into their systems anyway, considering they hadn't heard either of her songs. Unless their subconscious' had elicited that response prematurely. Either way, she was going to have fun with them.  
She had been the one to influence the infection in Cory's system, and she loved the exhaustion and weakness pouring out of him. It was like a meal that she didn't even have to dish out, and it was delicious. UNi's fear partly influenced by her, but the British male was already a fearful person to begin with. As for Ashlie, those feelings for Nick were never romantic.  
The Siren raised one of her hands boredly. Should she bring the event up short, or allow them to find the last generator first? Did she want to achieve that victory without a doubt, or did she want to play with her puppets first? The smirk on her lips turned dark. Was it even a question what her choice was going to be?  
"Oh children. If only you hadn't been so easy to manipulate."


	23. Puppets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the group try to keep it together despite their increasing dread, the Domain strikes once again and they are thrown off balance.

The group came to a stop as Cory gasped and doubled over, "Cory, are you alright?" Ashlie asked worriedly as she hurried over to the blond. Cory tried to nod his head, but gasped once again and squeezed his eyes shut tight. Tommy helped his friend sit on the ground, "What's going on? Is everything alright?" UNi's anxious voice cut into the painful silence. The male's amber eyes were full of worry as he looked at his friend.  
"I don't know what's...happening..." Cory gasped as he placed a hand over his chest, "It just started to hurt all of a sudde-" He cut himself off as a fresh wave of pain tore through him like a knife. Nick crouched down next to his friend, "What can we do? Do we still have the stuff from the medpack?" He asked as he turned to Ashlie. The female nodded and sat on the ground next to the brunette and sorted through it, "We have some antiseptic, but I'm not sure that'll help with the infection already in his system." She mumbled.  
Ashlie turned her gaze to Nick, worry reflected in his eyes, as well as something else. His eyes were speckled with the bright blue of the Siren. She turned away and looked at Cory, "We have to keep moving so we can get him out of here." Tommy spoke up. The others were silent. He was right, but with the Siren's impending attack splitting up was the worst idea imaginable. Tommy cast a glance at the other members of the group, "UNi and Nick can go look for the last generator and we can stay here with Cor. That way we can get this power on and still watch over him." He suggested, his eyes lingering on the two males mentioned.  
UNi seemed relieved at the plan and he nodded his agreement, but Nick didn't seem all that thrilled, "Come on, Nick. They'll be alright while we're gone." The British male spoke up hopefully.  
"But will he?" The Siren's familiar voice cut into Nick's thoughts. Her voice was becoming more and more clear, as if she were getting closer to him-and in a way, she was.  
Nick sighed and closed his eyes. The last thing he wanted to do was separate himself from the rest of the group, but he had a feeling that if he stayed he would only cause more bloodshed. After a moment, he opened his eyes and looked at the blue-haired male, "Let's go while we have the chance." He responded and got to his feet.  
Ashlie watched him as he turned to UNi and started walking. She clenched her hands into fists. She wanted to stand up and wrap her arms around him, place a kiss on his cheek, but that would never be a good idea. Plus, she was worried that it wouldn't be long before he lost control again. Nevertheless, she knew that Cory was the main focus right now; all she could do was hope that everything would be alright among the two.  
Cory leaned up against a tree and closed his eyes, trying to block out the pain. He didn't know why his wound was hurting so much all of a sudden, but he knew it was not a good sign. His fever had also returned and he could feel sweat beading on his forehead, "Oh you poor darling. First you're the target of my dear puppet's attack, and now your body is trying to kill you." A feminine voice spoke to him. He opened his eyes and looked over at his friends.  
Ashlie was quietly talking to Tommy. She hadn't looked at him, nor had she said anything to him, "It was not the wretched woman that spoke." A smirk was heard in her voice. Cory's breath hitched as he realized who was talking to him, "How did you get in my head?" He asked her, his eyes darting to his friends nearby, "Oh you know, just a little poking and prodding." The Siren responded. Cory shook his head, "This is your fault, isn't it? You're the reason my wound isn't healing." The Siren released a short laugh, "Bravo! You figured it out even before my dear puppet."  
Cory turned his gaze to his friends, who were still conversing. He had to tell them somehow.  
Ashlie watched Tommy as he talked. She had asked him to explain what he could about his time under the Siren's control in hopes they could figure out a way to free Nick when he lost control again, "I don't remember everything, but I do remember when she sent me back to you guys." Tommy started as he fiddled with the dirt in front of him, "It's like her emotions were my emotions, even though I still had my own, you know? Like her very essence was inside my head along with me. I remember feeling so victorious when I was able to get a hold of Nick, even though a part of me said it was a horrible idea to do that...  
"After that, it's kinda muddled and hard to remember, but I do remember seeing the Siren. She's so beat up, Ash." He explained as he looked at the female, "She was missing large chunks of hair, her clothes were torn, she had no shoes, and there was blood all over her. It's like she was beaten and attacked..." He spoke as he visualized the female with a pang. In another life, maybe she had been a sweet girl, "She couldn't have been much older than fourteen. She's so young. Even through all the dirt, blood, and scratches, I could tell how young her face looked."  
Ashlie furrowed her brows. The unspoken question hung in the air-How did she become such a monster? Tommy didn't know the answer, so he remained quiet, "Now that I look back on it, I have to wonder how she ended up here." He spoke thoughtfully as he breathed out.  
"I feel so honored. Talking about little ol' me?" The Siren cut into the two's thoughts. Ashlie jumped, looking over at Tommy. He seemed unfazed, almost as if he were used to it, "What do you want, Siren?" He spoke to her, "Just reminding you of the deadline." The female answered, "You don't have long." She added and went silent.  
"Don't have long? What does she mean by that?" Ashlie asked, furrowing her brows in worry. She had her suspicions.  
"It means she's going to attack soon." Cory cut in.  
\----------------  
Nick and UNi walked silently together. UNi couldn't help but notice how mechanical the brunette's movements were beginning to become. He looked into his friend's eyes and noticed how blue his eyes were with a start, "Nick, your eyes." He said as he came to a stop, "What do you mean?" Nick questioned as he stopped next to his friend, "They're becoming blue." He answered worriedly.  
Nick held a hand up to his cheek, cursing under his breath, "UNi, you have to get back to the others." He said urgently. UNi furrowed his brows, "But what about the generator?" He asked.   
The brunette closed his eyes, "It can wait. I don't want to hurt you."  
"Oh if only it were that simple, my darling." A voice spoke from the shadows. UNi and Nick spun around to look at the source of the voice. The moon shone on the shape of the Siren, glinting off of some rusty knives, "Your time is up, mutt." She snarled as she snapped her fingers.  
Nick became rigid and stopped moving. UNi glanced at him worriedly, backing up a few steps, "Now, my puppet. I need you to kill him." She ordered as she smirked. Nick slowly stepped forward and took one of the knives before turning to UNi.  
His eyes were bright blue.


	24. Gearing Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time is up for the group as the Siren closes in her prey.

UNi backed up, his eyes widening in horror, "Nick, you can't do this!" He exclaimed desperately, "Oh but he can, and he will." The Siren spoke with a look of sick pleasure. Nick's own facial expression reflected the Siren's pleasure, "He's too far gone to call him back. He's my little play thing to command." She explained.  
UNi glanced around, trying to find something to fend off the brunette. When he found nothing he turned back to Nick with a desperate expression. It wasn't possible. His friend had to be in there somewhere.  
Suddenly, Nick lunged for the taller male and UNi squeaked before back-pedaling, "No! Nick, stop!" He shouted, spit flying out of his mouth, although he didn't care. He was going to die. One of his best friends was going to kill him.  
\--------------  
Off in the distance, a terrified cry floated through the air. Cory stood immediately, looking at the others, "It's time." Tommy said somberly. Ashlie held a hand to her chest as she looked in the direction the two were, "We have to go now." She spoke and took a deep breath, looking at the boys. She knew someone was going to be seriously hurt in this fight, and she prayed that it wasn't Cory; he had already had so much to deal with because he had tried to protect her.  
Tommy waved a hand in front of her face and snapped her out of her thoughts, "Come on, Ash. We need you focused." She nodded and the three took off in the direction the cry had come from.  
\--------------  
Nick swiped at UNi and the male stepped back again. He knew if he went any further back, he risked hitting a tree or tripping over a branch. At this point, he didn't care though-he just wanted to get away from Nick.  
"Come on, UNi." The brunette mocked in his familiar strange voice, "Don't you want to die a hero's death?" UNi shook his head frantically, "There is nothing heroic to this! We didn't even get the generator!" He argued, his eyes darting to the young female standing nearby. She seemed content just watching UNi's breakdown.  
"This fear is delicious. I wish I could have it for a meal." The Siren spoke up as she tilted her head slightly. Suddenly, the female turned her head as a smirk spread across her face, "So they've come. My dear puppet there is a change of plans."  
Nick paused and turned away from UNi, a smirk spreading across his face, "If only I could get control over my pet. He would be useful." The female spoke wistfully. After Cory had forced her control away, she had been unable to get a hold of him like she previously had.  
The three soon appeared, Ashlie and Cory breathless. Tommy noticed the Siren instantly, "Hello once again my pet. It's a shame we had to meet like this." The female said as she raised her eyebrow. Nick moved forward, his eyes darting to UNi for a moment, before turning to the two injured people.  
Tommy moved protectively in front the two, his eyes narrowed at Nick, "I'm not letting you harm them." He said indignantly. His eyes flickered to the Siren. She was planning something, he could tell. Her bright red eyes were glittering with malice and her hands were clasped behind her back.  
UNi was frozen where he stood. If he moved, the Siren was going to do something, "You know, I've always wondered what it felt like to be forced to harm your own friends." The female rambled as she walked up to Nick, running a hand down his chest fondly, "I've never met such a faithful puppet. Sure he was a little rampant at times, but he listens to everything I tell him." She continued as her hand stopped at his waist.  
Cory and Ashlie straightened and looked at the two in front of them. Ashlie's eyes burned with fury. She wanted to step forward and attack the smaller female. The Siren held out her other hand, as if telling the female to stop. She lazily rolled her head to look at the taller girl, "Make one move, and I throw this knife at your friend's heart." She said as she gestured to the knife in the hand on the brunette's waist.  
UNi's breath hitched as he realized who she was talking about. It was him, not the blond in front of his injured friends. Nick idly touched the female's cheek before turning to the other two. The Siren turned with him, twirling the knife in her hand, "Which one is first?" Nick spoke up, his eyes glinting with amusement. Not the humorous kind, the kind when he knew his prey was about to be felled.  
No one had the time to respond before Nick launched into action, running straight towards Ashlie. UNi took off after him, determined to tackle the brunette before he reached her. At that point, his adrenaline had started pumping, so he felt no fear. Tommy was rooted to the spot where he stood, staring at the Siren.  
Ashlie cried out and stepped back, tripping over her feet and crashing to the ground. Her wound ached and she knew it was because the person that had done it was so close. Nick swiped at the empty air before turning to fend off UNi, who had nearly reached the two.  
Cory stepped back, reaching for a branch to steady himself. Everything spun and moved as dizziness settled in his head. He saw the shape of a woman approaching him as his vision blurred. A voice called out to him and his vision went dark as he thumped to the ground.  
\--------------  
Tommy watched the nightmare unfold all around him shakily. His friends scattered, although he kept his gaze on the Siren before it wandered to Cory. He watched as his friend stumbled back and held his arm out, as if to steady himself. He stepped forward, "Cory!" He called as he ran towards him. The Siren was also advancing towards him, at a faster pace than the blond.  
She held out a hand when she reached him, "I could just as easily kill this one. All you need to do is make sure that the witch is disposed off and I'll let this one go." She spoke as she stood over the unconscious blond, "How do I know you aren't just saying that?" He asked fearfully. He had already fought with Cory enough in this place, he would never forgive himself if he let him die.  
The Siren pointed to the trio and Tommy turned his gaze to them. UNi had a deep cut on his hip and his face was dirty from grappling in the dirt. Nick stood over him with a victorious smile on his face, "All you have to do is give him the command to kill her." The Siren whispered in his ear seductively.  
A small part of Tommy wanted to speak up and tell the brunette to do it, but he ignored that part of him, "I'm not letting you."  
"Very well. I suppose all of you are going to die, then."


	25. The End?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Siren has made her appearance for the final showdown and it isn't looking too good for the group. With Nick under the Siren's control again and Cory fighting the infection harder than ever, Tommy becomes desperate.

Tommy's eyes widened, "No, you can't hurt them." He replied, taking a small step closer to the two, "If you really want to kill someone so bad, kill me." He looked down at the blond before focusing his gaze on the female. The Siren smirked slightly, "You'd be willing to give up your own life to assure their safety, when I'm not to be trusted." She answered disbelievingly, although she took a step closer to him. Tommy's blond hair flew in front of his eyes as the wind picked up.  
"I've made too many mistakes in this place. If I can protect them, I'll protect them with my own life." He responded as he moved to fix his hair, "And what about the puppet? Did you expect me to just let him go after I've killed you?" She questioned with a raised eyebrow. The blond rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah, I kinda did."  
The female shook her head and looked over at the other three, her dirty feet taking a step back, "You should know better than to do that." She spoke as she dropped the knife in her hand with a smirk. Tommy's brown eyes widened as he realized her plan and he dove to catch the knife before it pierced the other blond's skin.  
The Siren watched with pleasure as the knife seemed to increase in speed. She was determined to get at least one kill in this place. She turned her attention to Nick, who had stopped moving momentarily as UNi helped Ashlie to her feet.  
Ashlie leaned against UNi as she faced Nick, who watched her with an intense gaze. His gaze unnerved her and she buried her face into UNi's shoulder with an exhale of a shaky breath. UNi turned his head to look at her, before turning to look at Nick. Now that his life wasn't immediately in danger, he was a little calmer, but his thoughts were still swirling at a maddening pace. Surely they would be able to get their friend back in time to get the gates powered and out of this hellhole?  
Nick tilted his head to the side slightly, "What happened to the 'love' you had for this puppet? Did seeing his devotion to me just break your heart too much?" The male spoke and Ashlie's head immediately turned to look at him, her brows furrowing, "His devotion to you... So you're using his mouth to mock me now?" She asked, her tone venomous as she turned her gaze to the younger female.  
The Siren's eyes seemed to reflect the laughter in her shaking shoulders. She was enjoying this entirely too much, "So you finally figured that component out. Is there anything else you're immense brains have figured out about me?" She questioned. Nick took a step closer to the two, his hands clasped behind his back lightly, "What else seems strange about this 'unending love' you feel for this man all of a sudden?" He asked, his blue eyes alight with amusement.  
Tommy moved onto his back, his hand tightly gripping the knife as he turned to listen to the comments being thrown through the air. He could feel the Siren's presence in his mind, but she did nothing to try to enforce her hold. She was merely there.  
Ashlie's heart skipped a few beats as she took a few steps closer to the brunette before her, "You mean to tell me that you're the one that caused these feelings? You're the reason I've wanted nothing but to be by his side, even while he is your puppet?" She asked, her eyes locked on the puppet's blue ones, "You've only ever wanted to be with him." The brunette responded.  
UNi stepped forward, "Ashlie, no. She's messing with your head." He pleaded, his amber eyes sparking with anxiety. Ashlie didn't seem to hear him as she stepped closer to Nick. Nick only looked back at her hopefully, as if traces of the male she knew were showing through.  
Tommy sat up, his grip on the knife tightening as he watched the scene unfold. Something was going to go wrong. There was no way the Siren only manipulated her heart. She did something else.  
Nick leaned forward as if to kiss the female, a hand on her shoulder. Ashlie leaned towards him to return the kiss, stopping midway through.  
"Ashlie!" UNi exclaimed, rushing forward as Nick shoved the knife into the female's gut. Tommy jumped to his feet as he rushed over to them, "Stop! For the love of God, stop!" He exclaimed as he ran over to pull the two apart.  
Nick's shoulders shook as a laugh erupted out of him, one that made both of the other males' blood run cold. He had just stabbed his best friend and he couldn't even break free enough to stop himself. His shoulders still shook as he laughed.  
Tommy and UNi both caught the female as she fell, blood pouring out of the corner of her mouth, "I'm...sorry..." She whispered as she looked at the two, "She...got to...me..." She placed her hands on either of the boys' cheeks.  
Tears poured out of UNi's eyes, "It's...okay..." He hiccuped, "We'll get you out of here..." He mumbled. Ashlie nodded slowly, "Don't...Let him...hurt anyone else..." She spoke to Tommy. Tommy nodded as the two carefully laid the female on the ground. UNi lifted his head to look at the brunette a few steps away.  
His blue eyes glowed with delight as he ran a hand over the blood on the blade. His shoulders were still shaking despite the fact that he was no longer laughing, "Oh my dear puppet, you did so well." The Siren congratulated the male with a smile, "And I thought the man was stronger than that. I guess it doesn't matter how strong you are if my hold is stronger." She laughed as the male looked at her.  
"Now, while the girl is still conscious, kiss me."


	26. Response?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Ashlie injured, the Siren plays one last trick on the female, with Nick the subject.

Nick could feel his body moving over to the girl, although he struggled to do otherwise. Everything seemed so much further away than it was when he was previously out of control. It was as if his own body was merely a husk for someone else to use for their deeds.   
And he couldn't stop it.  
"Your body is mine now. And wherever you are deep in there, you will watch as my puppet kills the rest of your friends. And you will be able to do nothing." The Siren's sweet voice cut into his small conscious. He could practically hear the smirk in her voice.  
The brunette may not have had control over his body in that moment, but he could feel tears in his eyes. He had just hurt one of his best friends and there had been nothing he could do to stop it. Despair shivered through his conscious like a bolt of lightning. Why was it always him hurting the others?  
\----------  
The puppet smirked at the shocked faces of those around him as he walked over to the Siren. Ashlie had squeezed her eyes shut and refused to look in his direction. Tommy was frozen in his spot beside UNi. UNi's glasses were falling down his face, although he did nothing to try to adjust them. Nick reached the female and wrapped an arm around her waist.  
The Siren laughed as if the gesture were something a normal couple would have done. She raised a finger and beckoned at the three. Tommy and UNi's hands began to lift the barely conscious Ashlie without pause.  
The female's eyes flew open as she felt her body being lifted. UNi and Tommy's eyes looked down at their hands, "What is happening?" UNi asked shakily as he shrugged his shoulders, "I can't control my hands!" He exclaimed.  
"UNi, calm down!" Tommy exclaimed, although his voice portrayed his equal amounts of shock as well. The Siren felt a malevolent smile form, "It's as if your bodies have begun unconsciously responding to my calls. Even though I can't completely control you, your bodies are still responding somewhat to my commands." She spoke.  
"I suppose that is why it was so easy for me to manipulate the she-devil into my trap with the puppet." Nick responded, his eyes glowing in the dim light. The blue seemed brighter than ever. Ashlie shook her head, closing her eyes again, "No. I would never let you worm your way into my head."  
"It's not a matter of whether you would let me into your head. I could get in regardless of if you had let me. My song has somehow become a part of your system, and I can control it as I wish."  
"But only to a degree." Tommy cut in as his face filled with realization, "Your songs are only as strong as the system will allow."  
"What does that mean?" UNi asked as his hair shook in the wind, "It means our systems will only allow as much control as the amount of the song it heard. And depending on when the control is gone, is how much stronger that hold can be." Tommy explained as he looked at the two in front of him.  
"For once-" "You understand something." Nick and the Siren spoke in unison with similar smirks, "It's a shame it won't matter. This puppet is going to kill you in the end anyway." The Siren added and Nick tilted his head slightly, his blue eyes shining with restrained excitement.  
The Siren turned back to the taller brunette, "Anyway, she-devil. It's about time you witnessed what your heart most fears." Her voice took on a hint of seduction as Ashlie's eyes opened wide. Tommy's hands throbbed from the strain of trying to get control back, and looking at UNi, he could tell the same was happening with him as well.  
The Siren's lips curled into a small smile as she put her hand on the back of the brunette's head, scrunching her hand into his messy hair as she pulled his head closer to her lips. Nick bent down so that their lips met in a short, tender kiss.  
"Don't even think about biting my lip." The Siren told Nick's conscious, "Your dear Ashlie wouldn't like that all too much." They pulled away and turned to look at Ashlie as her eyes drooped. Tommy and UNi looked down at their friend with mirrored looks of concern.  
"Ashlie! We'll get you out of here soon!" UNi exclaimed, although he could barely hear himself over his frantically beating heart. He didn't know what he would do if his friends had actually died in this place.  
"She's not dead. Yet." Nick cut into the British male's thoughts and he looked up as his and Tommy's hands slowly laid the ginger back down on the dirt. Tommy breathed out slowly. They were going to die in this place. A generator still had to be done, and only him and UNi were in commission enough to do them, and there was no way they were getting away from the Siren and her puppet.  
They were going to die.


	27. Finally Free

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle comes to a head and Tommy sees no other way to get his friends out of this mess. The Siren senses her approaching victory, but could it be cut short?

Tommy glanced over at UNi with a resigned look in his eyes. He knew this was their end, but did he? Surely he knew there was nothing that he could do to get them out of this situation. He turned his attention to the unconscious Ashie between them, a wave of guilt flowing through him. If he had just stayed with Nick, he wouldn't have been caught by the Siren and turned Nick in. None of this would have happened; they would have all been together through this.  
He wondered momentarily if Nick felt as guilty as he did, wherever he was deep in his own psyche. Tommy was never one to feel guilt, but in this instance it was incredibly high. He joked and teased his friends, but it was all in good fun-he never wanted to harm them in any way. He was sure Nick felt this way as well-he had always been more visibly emotional than Tommy had.  
Tommy turned his gaze to the brunette, a small frown working on to his lips. He knew he shouldn't, but in this moment he felt that falling onto the Siren's blade was the only answer to saving his friends. Of course he knew that would only leave them more vulnerable since he had been the fighting force throughout this ordeal. Nick noticed the blond's gaze and turned his head to look at him with an unnerving smile.  
"What are you looking at, failed pet?" He questioned curiously, although his voice only held snark.  
Tommy bit his lip and quickly looked away. There wasn't even a spark of the old Nick in there-it was as if he was dead. The Siren moved closer to the blond with her signature malicious smile, "Is there something you desire, my pet? Or are you only saying your goodbyes to the man that you call your friend?" She spoke softly but her voice carried throughout the entirety of the clearing.  
Tommy turned his head back to the two, a snarl in his voice as he replied:"I'm only thinking of how you forcefully took our friend from us and now you're going to make him enjoy the feeling of killing us."  
The Siren seemed surprised by his open hostility. Before, the male had only spoken to her when he was sure it would get him away from her. But now his anger at himself,and her for that matter, reflected openly in his voice. Her surprise was quickly concealed and she smirked, "So much strength in those words. Have you come to terms with this predicament at last?" She questioned.  
UNi looked over at Tommy as the conversation unfolded. Truthfully, he was terrified beyond measure right now. His hands and feet had started to tingle from the fear, but he forced himself to move away from Ashlie to hear the exchange. In this moment, he didn't know if this was his fear or the Siren's power, but it had mingled along the way if it was. He was going to die, and from the looks of it he would be watching as his other friends were killed first.  
Tommy stood to his full height, towering over the young killer, "There was nothing I ever had to come to terms with in the first place. I only had to realize them." He spat in the girl's face. All of the anger in his words-he didn't know if he was deflecting the anger at himself or if it was genuinely anger at her. Either way, he knew that he hated her more than he hated himself right then.  
Nick took an instinctive step toward the Siren at seeing Tommy's preparedness to lash out. Deep down, Nick couldn't help but feel a small bit of pride at his blond friend. He was standing up for himself. That pride quickly faded when he realized how this would end; the Siren was already reaching for the knife behind her back, "No! Tommy shut up!" He shouted furiously within his own mind.  
He was going to stop her, some way or another. His body took a few more steps closer, but stayed behind the Siren obediently. He had to get enough control to take the knife from her, but a mocking voice spoke to him:"Do you really think that you can defeat me in a battle right now? This body is mine; you're lucky that you're even still here somewhere. My mistress has destroyed people merely by control and her song alone. Count yourself lucky for even being alive right now."  
The puppet. Of course it had a consciousness of it's own. It may have just been a reflection of the Siren's presence within his body, but it had formed a conscious. Did that mean he would lose soon? A fresh wave of guilt and sorrow shivered through him-he had to apologize to Ashlie, get her to trust him again... Somehow.  
\-----------  
The Siren watched the taller blond with a smile as her hand slowly moved to her side, the knife in hand. Tommy stared down at the female with his same angry stare. He was completely oblivious to the knife. Suddenly she stabbed out at the male.  
Time seemed to freeze in that moment. Lights came on. Gates could be heard creaking nearby. A single thought turned into movement. Two voices carried through the area.


	28. Reconcile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Siren's Domain crumbles around her as something cuts her fun short. With her hold over the group breaking, she becomes desperate.

Tommy's eyes widened at the seemingly sudden attack by the shorter girl. The knife came closer and closer to his chest and he was still rooted to the spot. This was his inevitable death coming at him. Suddenly, a loud creaking sound sounded through the confined area. He furrowed his brows as hope took hold of him. There was no way that was what he thought it was.  
The Siren released a loud maniacal laugh as the blade came closer to his former pet, "You should have known better than to disobey the one that gave you so much." She commented with a crazy gleam in her shining red eyes. She watched in satisfaction as the blade came within inches of the male's chest.  
But that was where it stopped.  
The female's features contorted into rage as she looked behind her, "What are you doing?! This was our chance, dear puppet!" She shouted, although she quickly realized her mistake.  
It was not her dear puppet stopping her. Nick had returned. And he looked as distraught as he had while he was out of control, "Guess again, bitch." He snarled. In one quick movement, the shorter girl had the knife pressed to the brunette's throat.  
"This is my domain. Don't think you're home free until you have crossed through those gates." She spat in the male's ear, "You may have been freed after the power was restored, but you are still completely at my mercy." She added.  
Tommy recovered from the shock (which had caused him to stumble and fall backwards) and stepped forward, "Enough is enough, Siren. You have been defeated and we're all leaving." He spoke calmly, although his eyes reflected his terror. They had just gotten him back, he couldn't die before Ashlie could talk to him.  
Nick looked at Tommy pleadingly. His eyes said everything he wanted in those moments:Don't piss her off. Please don't piss her off. I want to live. Tommy took a small step closer to the two and the Siren responded by pressing the blade closer to Nick's throat. If he made one more move, the brunette's throat would be slashed in an instant.  
"I suggest you let him go." A new voice spoke from behind the Siren.  
She quickly spun around, her knife pressed against Nick's throat still. There stood Cory, a hand on his chest, but the signs of his infection had seemingly disappeared. He still appeared slightly weak, but he was standing on his own just fine. A knife was pointed right at the Siren's face.  
"Let him go, or so help me I will stab you right in the forehead." His voice was much stronger as well; no pain, just a cold anger, "Your time of toying with us is over, and you know it, so back down."  
The Siren's red eyes went wide and a laugh erupted from her, "You think you won?!!! This is my realm; everything you do is decided by me!! You are in my control!! I don't give a shit if the gates are powered or not!! You will all die regardless!!" She shouted in a frenzy.  
Nick closed his eyes. He was so close, yet once again so very far. This woman was mad, and if either of the boys did anything incorrectly, he was a goner. Flashes of his time under her control went through his mind-moments when he could feel nothing but a searing guilt or a choking sorrow so intense he was sure he would lose his mind.  
Tommy turned back to UNi, who was watching the whole spectacle fearfully, "Take Ashlie and get to the gate. We'll meet up with you." He spoke calmly to keep UNi from freaking out even more. All it would take was a little bit of his own fear to shine through and UNi would have a breakdown, and he, nor Ashlie, could afford that.  
The blue haired male slowly adjusted his glasses and stood, hauling Ashlie into his arms. He watched Tommy for a moment as a silent conversation was held between them.  
You better come back. All of you.  
We will.  
With that response, UNi took off quickly and silently in the direction of the gate. Tommy prayed that he remembered the way, and that he didn't get lost. He would never make it out alive if he did. Turning his attention back to the confrontation, he crept a step forward. The Siren was rigid with madness-she was going to get this and she would not let it go any other way.  
Cory looked behind her to Tommy with a small nod. Oh god, they were going to get Nick killed. But they had to do something or he'd die anyway. Cory took a small step forward and Tommy mirrored that, although the Siren was unaware of how close the other blond was to her. The blade moved closer yet to Nick's throat and a trickle of blood ran down, "I said one step! " She shouted.  
Cory smiled slightly and the Siren looked at him in confusion, "Why are you smiling? You have doomed your friend!" She snapped. Without responding, he flung his hand out to Nick's while Tommy grabbed the Siren's hand at the same time. Within moments, the Siren and Tommy were wrestling on the ground while Nick stood nearby, safe with Cory.  
Cory shot a look to Nick, "Go after UNi. Tommy and I can hold off the Siren until you guys get there. Then we'll join you." Nick shook his head in response, "No you go. This has always been between the three of us. You know what direction he went so you can find him." He argued softly, although his voice held determination. He was going to do one good thing in this place. He wasn't going to allow his mind to dwell on the bandages peeking through the blond's shirt collar. He had to focus.  
Cory took one last glance at Tommy and the Siren in the dirt and took off at a sprint in the direction UNi had gone with Ashlie. Now it was only the Siren and her former subjects. Nick stepped forward to try to help, but he knew there was nothing he could do. He waited impatiently as the two grappled for the knife.  
Tommy struggled as much as he could for the object. Just because Nick wasn't in immediate harm anymore didn't mean he wouldn't still be if the Siren was able to usurp him. The Siren climbed on top of him, her hands still firmly gripping the metallic object. Her red eyes glinted off of the blade and back onto her face, making her crazy look seem maniacal. She was determined to win something.  
She started to drive the object towards his chest and he fought against her. She giggled with glee as she seemed to overpower him, "Just because I am smaller than you does not mean I am not stronger! This is my realm;my strength." She spoke. The blade moved ever closer to her target and Tommy bit his lip as he struggled to keep it back, "You will be mine." She whispered as the blade lurched down and ripped his shirt.  
Before the blade could move any further, Nick dove at the female and sent the knife sprawling across the dirt. He helped his blond friend stand and glanced at the Siren. While she was recovering, he turned to Tommy, "Are you alright? Can you run?" He asked rapid-fire. Tommy nodded; he was dazed, but the blade had not actually cut him, "Good. We need to run while she's recovering."  
He grabbed the male's hand and took off at a sprint, "Please tell me you remember where the gate is!" Tommy called. Since he had been under the Siren's influence while close to the gate, his memory of the location was hazy. Nick nodded silently and kept running. A roar sounded from behind them as the Siren stood and found her prey had disappeared. The two glanced at each other and sped up just slightly.  
While the younger female stomped along after them, the gate came into sight. Cory and UNi stood just behind the large doors as they surveyed the area for their remaining friends. Upon seeing them, UNi retreated behind the door and Cory waved them over eagerly. The two were just about to step up to the other blond when a knife sailed between the two, centimeters from their noses.  
"I will not be abandoned! You are my toys and I shall destroy you when I see fit!" She shouted. Her eyes were wide and her torn clothes were ruffled from her scuffle with Tommy. Nick turned to look at her, his face deadpan, "We were never your toys in the first place." He answered. Tommy turned to the Siren as well, "You just couldn't handle the fact that we were smarter than you."  
"Yeah! And you know what? You were never that smart to begin with!" UNi joined in from behind the two.  
The Siren darted to them, trying to reach for their throats, but her arms froze inches from her target. Her eyes widened, "No! Please don't take this from me! You told me I could do whatever I wanted with them!" She screamed in horror. The two targets backed up nervously. Was something else about to become known?  
"You were only allowed to do so within reason, my wonderful Lyssa. This spectacle is nothing more than a thirst for death. You must come to terms with your defeat-there will be more." A disembodied voice seemed to echo through the entirety of the confines.  
The Siren retracted her hands, moving them to her head, looking distraught. Tears refracted the red light of her eyes, "No master! Just let me have them!" She argued with a panicked voice.  
The group slowly started backing up from the female. A large claw-like thing surfaced from the ground and pointed itself at the Siren, "Dear Lyssa, you don't want to have to restart, do you?" The voice replied mockingly. The Siren fell to her knees, "No, anything but that! This domain must remain mine!" She pleaded. The claw slowly retracted and the group stepped all the way through the gates to safety. A scream of anguish tore through the Siren's lips as the group disappeared.  
When they were away from the area, they stopped at a fire. UNi laid Ashlie on the dirt near the fire and he sat on her other side. His glasses were sliding down his face again, "Oh Ashlie..." He mumbled. Tommy sat on a log as close to the two as he dared. Cory stood near the two, his gaze on Tommy, "Tom I have to apologize." He spoke suddenly. Tommy turned his gaze to the blond in surprise, "Why would you apologize?"  
"Because I said some pretty shitty things in there, and I didn't want you to think that I meant them. I don't, Tom. I realize now that all of that that happened was never your fault. The Siren... She just-she got into our heads, our minds, our very psyches. All that I said in there was influenced by her, I swear it." He replied earnestly, his eyes locked on his friend's. Tommy seemed at a lose for words for some time before he spoke up:"Don't apologize. I should have known that we weren't alone in there-I was stupid."  
Cory sat next to his friend, "I hope one day you can get over that needless guilt." He whispered as he turned to look at Ashlie. Nick stood a distance away, staring into the fire. It reflected into his deep brown eyes and made his troubled look seem even more haunted. Would Ashlie ever forgive him? Could he ever forgive himself?  
UNi stared down at the red headed girl sadly. Suddenly, she started stirring. At the same time, the wound from her chest began to heal. Cory let out a cry as his wound also began to heal. UNi straightened as the female's eyelids started to flutter, "Ashlie?" He whispered, "Where's...Nick?" She asked quietly. Her voice was not weak, merely tired.  
Nick forced himself to stay where he was, "He's a little away. Do you want to talk to him?" UNi asked. Ashlie nodded and UNi propped her up slightly so she could see Nick. A dazzling smile spread across her face. All at once, Nick's fears vanished and he darted over to Ashlie, kneeling down next to her, "Ash? What did you want to say?" He questioned.  
Ashlie laid a hand on his cheek, "You don't blame yourself, do you?" She asked. Nick held his breath. Of course she knew him that well. At seeing the sadness in her friend's eyes, she became stern, "Now you better stop that. It was never, nor will it ever, your fault. That bitch did all of this." She snarled. Nick stared at the red head as tears suddenly filled his eyes, "Oh Ash, I didn't know if you would ever forgive me! If any of you would forgive me!" He wailed. Ashlie leaned forward and placed a kiss on the brunette's cheeks with a smile, "Of course I would. We all will. If we can forgive Tommy, we can certainly forgive you." Nick looked at his blond friend, who gave him a nervous smile. He shook his head, "Thank you so much..."  
Ashlie reached out to touch his cheek again, but her hand was transparent, "What's happening?" She asked, slightly panicked. Nick, Tommy, UNi, and Cory looked down at their hands as they too became transparent, "I think we're returning to where we belong." UNi spoke up. Ashlie and Nick smiled at each other, "Finally we can leave this place for good." Tommy spoke with his stupid high-pitched voice. Ashlie, Nick, and UNi laughed while Cory glared at him. He shrugged and smiled.  
"See y'all soon!" Ashlie called as they disappeared.  
\-----------  
The Siren had not moved from her spot on the ground near the gate, "My dear Lyssa~ Just as those traffickers had done, you will do to so many others who arrive here. I will be sure to keep you entertained." The Entity called to the female, "The traffickers..."  
<><><><><>  
It was dark. And so very musty. How long had it been since she had seen the light of day? Would she ever see it again? She could hear muffled crying from her position in the back of the room. There were so many people, and she was sure she could smell the stench of rot.  
Were they in a land fill? No, the ground was too solid. Alyssa Centerberry couldn't help but gag. Although she had been here for many days, she still hadn't gotten used to the smell. Were there dead people in the room with her? Surely there weren't, but she couldn't be sure. A small voice in the back of her head told her that she knew exactly what was happening. The number of people that were here previously were slowly dwindling as she knew why.  
She was in the basement of a trafficker. And they had a habit of killing their victims afterwards. She knew she was next. She started at hearing a thumping from above her. They were coming. She forced her eyes to close as she listened to the approaching footsteps, "Alyssa! Dear Lyssa, do listen to me! You may be in trouble now, but it will be better soon! You may die, but these bastards will get what they deserve. At least one of them will." She opened her eyes and looked around startled, "You may not know me. But I will be your salvation-your new beginning. All you must do is die." The female closed her eyes as the door opened and the boots could be heard drawing near.  
She gripped a bobby pin in her hand. It had broken many days ago and was only a sharp point now. This would do. This voice would love this. The footsteps stopped in front of her, "How are you, little lady? Ready for some fun?" The deep voice spoke, although she forced herself to keep her eyes closed and calm. Her restraints were tugged as she was forced to stand.  
Hot breath blew in her face as the male stepped especially close to her to examine her. Without warning, Alyssa's eyes flew open and she lashed out with the bobby pin, stabbing the male in the eye repeatedly. When she was satisfied that the eye was destroyed, she lashed out at his throat, "You little bitch!" He snarled. A pocket knife clicked as he opened it. As her pin found its target in the wretched male's jugular, the knife slit her throat.  
Alyssa gripped at her throat as her blood poured out of her, "Yes well done Lyssa! One last thing must be done before you can join your dear master." She fell to her knees in a puddle of her own blood. The gurgling of the dying male was heard in front of her, but from miles away.She looked at her blood and reached out to draw one letter in it, and "e".  
Her trembling hands came to a stop as her body finally stopped responding. She slumped forward, her face falling into the carved "e".  
"I'll see you on the other side...Siren."


End file.
